She's The Girl All The Bad Guys Want
by Silent.Embrace
Summary: Shiori Akita was just your typical everyday leaf ninja. Until her godfather decided to turn her into a science experiment. Rated M for suicide attempts in later chapters. Reviews and flames welcome.
1. Chapter 1

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

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Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

My Name is Shiori Akita. I am nine years old. I have long blond hair down to the middle of my back and green eyes. I'm rather skinny, but that's okay because I'm training to be a ninja! I think I'm really nice, but if you make me angry, WATCH OUT! My Mommy used to tell me that I'm quite sadistic when I'm angry. I don't know what sadistic means... When I asked her, she said that it means I like to hurt people in creative ways when I'm angry. Well duh! What else do you do when you're angry? Sulk!? No! You get even! But my Mommy died recently and I never met my father. I don't think I have a kekkei genkai either.. Now that my Mommy is dead, my godfather decided that I should go to the village hidden in the leaves. I have no family here, so I live with Mitarashi Anko. When I came to Konohagakure, I didn't tell them I was a Shiori. I didn't give them any surname. That was a very good thing. If they knew I was a Shiori, they'd learn the truth. My mom didn't just die. My Mommy and my godfather got into a fight. They were both awesome ninjas, but in the end my mom lost. She was killed. But it didn't matter that my godfather killed my mom. That was how things were in the sound village before I left. I still loved my godfather, Orochimaru-sama.

"Akita! You have to go to school!" Anko called. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. I heard my door open and knew Anko was about to make me get up.

"I don't wanna." I mumbled. She walked over to my bed and pulled the covers off me.

"Too bad!" She said giving a scornful look. I groaned and sat up.

"Okay, I'm up!" I said. She smiled more kindly now. "Besides, don't you want to go to the academy and make all those new friends?" She asked. I smiled.

"Maybe a little." I said. She laughed and helped me get ready since we were late as it was. She walked with me to the academy since I had no idea where it actually was. There were other Jounin around that we would just HAVE to stop and chat with for a few moments. Although I did like Kakashi. He was weird. When we finally got to the academy, class had already begun.

"Oh curses. Now I've made us late." She said. We both laughed as we hurried into the academy. She walked me to my classroom and told me to wait outside. She was going to talk to the sensei. I sighed. I was nervous. I heard Anko call for me and I cautiously walked in, glancing at the other students. Some of them leaned forward some to see me better, and others looked annoyed that the class was interrupted for you. Others looked passive about the whole thing. I walked over by Anko and looked around slowly at everyone.

"Would you like to introduce yourself?" The sensei said cheerfully.

"Uh…. Hi. I'm Akita." I said shyly. I'm normally not shy, even to new people, but the only person I knew in this entire village was Anko. So it changed things slightly. The sensei smiled at me and gave me a seat next to the boy who's name was Uchiha Sasuke. I noticed Anko stayed here today.

"Why don't you have a surname?" Sasuke mumbled to me. I glanced at him.

"Because I choose not to," I mumbled back. He glanced at me and then focused on the lesson. Right now it was all about transforming jutsu. I groaned. "This is so lame," I said under my breathe. I could already do this to more of an extent than just a log as he was having everyone do. When it was my turn along with 5 others, I mixed it up a bit. I did the hand sign and smirked. "Transform!" I yelled with the others. As the smoke cleared with the popping noises, there were 5 logs…..and one cat! I licked my paws as my tail swished in the air. Everyone looked at me in amazement, especially after the others transformed back. They could not hold it that long, but I had practice from my mother. I knew what I were doing. I heard Iruka-sensei and Anko break out laughing.

"Well Akita, you're quite the gutsy one!" Iruka-sensei said. "Where did you learn that?" He said. I transformed back to myself and smiled sheepishly.

"My mom was a ninja while she was alive. She started teaching me all sorts of small jutsus when I turned five. But then again…." I said as I though about it. "I did sorta force her to teach me. She was practicing her taijutsu and I just sorta walked behind and tried to copy her. She started teaching me the basics after that." I explained. Iruka-sensei laughed.

"It's a pity we couldn't meet your mom. She sounds like she was a great Ninja." He said. We six sat down, with many of the other students eyeing me with awe. "Now before we continue, I just want to comment to the rest of you about the transformation jutsu that Akita did. Who can tell me why she was able to pull off a cat?" Iruka-sensei asked. One girl raised her hand. "Yes Ino?" Iruka-sensei asked.

"Because she has had more practice at the art of jutsus than the rest of us, so her chakura is stronger and more abundant than the rest of us. That also explains why she was able to hold the transformation longer." Ino said. I smiled. She was right as far as I knew. Iruka-sensei smiled.

"That is right Ino. And that is exactly why none of you should feel inferior to Akita. If the rest of you practice hard and often, there is no reason why you can't catch up to her before you leave the academy." He said. I saw a look of determination come over many of my peers. I smiled. I was glad to help.

* * *

FF TO END OF CLASS

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I smiled as I walked down the steps to the door. Anko was waiting for me smiling. I was one of the last ones out.

"Akita!" Iruka-sensei called. I turned back and smiled.

"Yes Iruka-sensei?" I asked. He smiled at me.

"How would you like to help me teach the class sometimes? Someone as advanced as you shouldn't be allowed to let all those jutsus go to waste," he said smiling. I grinned.

"Oh yes!" I exclaimed. He laughed and left. Anko and I walked back home chatting the whole way there.

"Akita, you didn't tell me or Lord Hokage about your skills." She said. I giggled.

"You never asked!" I exclaimed. She smiled and laughed with me.


	2. Chapter 2

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

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Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

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Over the next few weeks, I made a few friends. I actually got along with the Jounin better than I did most of the other students. My best friend was Ino though. She was just so much fun to hang out with. She and I were both really serious about training and becoming great Jounin some day. Right now I was in the park with her practicing our jutsus. We both sat on the ground panting.

"Wow Akita. Where did you learn your taijutsu?!" She exclaimed while trying to catch her breath. I laughed as I panted.

"My mom, remember?" I said. The two of us had just finished a sparring match as a practice. I smiled and stood up. We laughed together.

"Well, we should be getting home." I said. It was starting to get dark. We walked together to her house and then I ran to mine. I was almost there when something caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked over into the trees. I was on the outskirts on town since it was faster this way and there was part of the forest that was inside the city walls next to me. I cautiously walked over, and peered into the bushes. This wasn't a residential part of town, so I was very nervous. "Who's there?" I called out. There was no answer. I cautiously stepped into the trees, and noticed how much darker it is just inside the perimeter. I walked a few more feet in and saw nothing. I shrugged it off and turned to leave, when some one was in front of me! I jumped back and saw who it was. I smiled. "Orochimaru-sama!" I exclaimed. He was immediately in front of me shushing me. He smiled at me.

"Remember Akita, I'm not supposed to be here. Don't blow my cover." He said. I smiled and nodded.

"Then what are you doing here?" I asked. He smiled again.

"Checking up on my favorite girl, of course." He said while messing up my hair. I laughed.

"Orochi-sama! Stop it!" I said as I tried to fix it. He laughed quietly.

"Tell me, child. Do you like this village?" Orochimaru asked. I nodded.

"I like it very much. Anko is really nice too!" I said. Orochimaru looked at me with interest.

"Did you say Anko?" he asked. I nodded.

"Uh-huh! I'm living with her now! Why? Do you know her Orochimaru-sama?" I asked. He smirked.

"As a matter of fact I do Akita. But It's not a good idea to tell her I was here visiting you." He said. I looked at him confused. He sighed. "Anko and I are not exactly on good terms anymore." He said.

"OOoooh." I said. He smiled at me again.

"Well Akita, I'll see you again soon. But for now you should be off. It's getting quite late." He said. I looked at the sky.

"Oh no!" I said. I said my quick good-byes and raced off.

* * *

Orochimaru's POV

* * *

I smirked as I watched her race off. She was very promising. I had seen her turn into a cat. She was very far ahead of the rest of the students, despite what that idiot teacher said. And she would stay ahead of them. I knew she would. She was trying so hard. There was really no way she couldn't stay ahead. Not with what I were going to teach her. I smirked again as I thought about Anko. How fortunate it was that Anko became Akita's keeper. How fortunate indeed.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I raced into the house panting, to find Kakashi sitting at the table, reading as usual.

"Hello Kakashi-san!" I said. He looked up at me and then back to the book.

"Good evening Akita. Anko! She's here now." He called. Anko came into the room and looked at me and sighed.

"You're late." She said.

"Sorry Anko-chan. I didn't realize it was that late." I said grinning. She smiled at me.

"Go get ready for dinner." She told me. I raced off to my room.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

I watched as she raced off.

"Kakashi, do you think anything kept her out late?" I asked quietly.

"She's nine years old Anko. What do you think?" He said, with humor in his voice.

"This is serious Kakashi. She shows up at the gates alone, she refuses to give her surname, and now she's late. I know Ino wasn't because I saw them get to her house just fine. She had plenty of time to get back." I said. Kakashi then looked up. The humor was gone from his face.

"Hmmm….. That is true. Perhaps we should explore this. Did you see what route she took from Ino's?" Kakashi asked.

"She went behind the industrial district. By that small patch of forest." I said. Kakashi nodded.

"If it concerns you that much, I'll go and check it out for you. After dinner of course," He finished with a smile. I laughed as I served the stew. Kakashi smelled it and sighed. "Anko, your cooking is remarkable." He said.

"Yes and I'm quite sure that's the only reason you come around!" I joked. We both laughed and Akita came running out of her room. I smiled at the girl. She was so sweet.

* * *

FF AFTER DINNER

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Kakashi's POV

I walked back, tracing Akita's path after dinner. I couldn't help but be content. I doubted I'd find anything, and Anko's cooking was stupendous. I got to the forest and walked a bit in and froze. I could sense the left over chakura from a teleportation jutsu. Some one had been here with Akita. However, she was only 9. She wouldn't know the difference between friend and foe yet. Plus, if she knew them as a friend from her life before she came here, and they were actually an enemy, then she could easily walk into a trap.

"Well I'll be. Anko was right," I whispered. I then headed to see Lord Hokage, as it was most important for him to know first.


	3. Chapter 3

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

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Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto

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The next day, I noticed the Jounin were very nervous. I was nervous because of their nervousness. Was it possible they found out about Orochimaru's visit? I shook the thought from my head. '_No. It's not possible. Orochimaru knows how to cover his tracks._' I thought to myself. I was in school again. Today was a taijutsu day. I always stunned my teachers and my peers with my taijutsu. There was one boy who didn't have any genjutsu or ninjutsu, Rock Lee was his name I thought, who always looked at me with even bigger eyes than he normally had when he watch me doing any kind of jutsu. Ino jokingly said he had a crush on me. I hope not. Yes, he was nice and all, but I really didn't like him. At all. I'm always excited after school on Fridays. Orochimaru kept his promise and visited mr every week. And today just happened to be Friday.

_DRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGG!!_

I jumped up and bolted out the door as the bell rang. I ran into the park, into one of the more foresty areas and jumped into the really tall trees. I waited, panting from my run.

"Hello Akita." Said a voice. I spun around and smiled.

"Orochimaru-sama!" I said as I hugged him. He gingerly wrapped an arm around me.

"How's my favorite girl?" He said.

"I'm fine." I said. I smiled.

"Wonderful. Now, Akita, I need you to do me a favor." He said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You know of the shop that sells potions and such, correct?" he asked. I nodded.

"I want you to do that wonderful transformation jutsu to turn into a cat and go get me the bottle of blue potion that's in a clear glass bottle with a swirly top. Can you do that?" He asked. I looked at him uncertain.

"Uhhhh…….Orochimaru-sama, isn't that stealing?" I asked. He smiled.

"Only if you're human when you do it. A stray cat isn't going to know right from wrong, is it?" He said.

"Well….I guess not. But it doesn't feel right." I whispered. Orochimaru held me close.

"I know, but it's the only way. If you were to buy that particular potion and not have a decent excuse, too many people would start asking questions. I can't very well just walk over and get it either. But I do need it. It's very important." He said. I sighed.

"I guess I can…" I mumbled, still thinking about it. He smiled.

"That-a-girl Akita. You'll be fine." He told me. I did my jutsu and transformed into an orange cat. Orochimaru smiled and scratched me behind my ears, causing me to purr. I then jumped down the tree and ran back into town. When I found the shop I jumped up onto the counter and looked around. The owner saw me and laughed.

"Hello kitty. What can I get ya?" He said jokingly as he pet me. I trotted over to the potion that Orochimaru wanted and started playing with it. It was very sparkly. The owner didn't see me, he was organizing the back shelves. I quickly picked it up in my mouth and jumped down and ran off with it. A few minutes later, I was up in the tree again, as myself, while Orochimaru made sure it was the right one. He smiled at me.

"Good job, Akita." He said. I smiled.

"Thanks. What's it for anyway?" I said.

"A very unique potion. One that does not concern you. At least, not right now." He said. I looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it Akita. It won't concern you for a few more years." Orochimaru said. I sighed.

"I don't understand Orochi-sama." I said. He smiled at me.

"You will." He said. After some time had passed, Orochimaru had to leave and I jumped down the tree. However, I didn't leave the park yet. Instead, on my way out, I came across a group of Genin who graduated last year. They were training for the chunin exams apparently. I watched them practice and fell in love with their jutsus. They were so much more advanced than what we were learning at the academy. One I really loved was the shadow clone jutsu that I saw. I smiled. '_I can do that!_' I thought. I watched the hand signs again and quickly memorized them. I then ran to a more secluded part of the forest that other ninja never came across. I caught my breath and relaxed. I knew that what I was going to do was really advanced, even for me. I sighed and did the hand sign. "Shadow clone jutsu!" I said quietly. There was a poof, and I looked in front of me and burst out laughing. I was staring at a replica of myself, only shorter and fatter. I couldn't even stop laughing as the clone poofed away. I fell to the ground, clutching my stomach as I tried to control my laughter. When I was able to control my laughter again, I calmed down finally and tried again. I groaned. It wasn't that much better. This one was excessively skinny and fell over because she couldn't keep her balance. I snickered as she fell over and went 'poof.' I sighed as I tried again.

* * *

FF FEW HOURS

* * *

I panted as another clone went poof. I couldn't do it anymore. My chakra was wasted. I could barely manage to get out of the park. I walked all the way back to home with my eyes closed half the time. I yawned as I walked in. Anko smiled at me.

"Well, well, well. The dedicated young ninja finally decides to come home. Have you been training this whole time?" She asked. I yawned again as I nodded. She laughed.

"I can tell. Your chakra is almost all wasted up." She said. I shrugged as I sat down for dinner, while laying my head on the table.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

I went to get dinner, but when I looked back, I saw Akita had fallen asleep. I smiled at her. She tried so hard and always pushed herself to be the best she could be. I knew that all the jutsu they learned at the academy would not drain her chakura like this. She must have seen some of the older, more experienced ninja training and tried to copy their jutsu. I laughed quietly. I gently wrapped my arms around her and picked her up the way a sister would. I was really starting to think of this child as my sister. She had been with me for almost two months now. I gently laid her on her bed and pulled the covers over her. I shut the door mostly, leaving room for me to check on her later. I smiled at her. I knew she would be a great ninja someday. Suddenly my shoulder ached. I clutched my shoulder and realized that was where Orochimaru had marked me. I glanced at it, with alarm and then looked back at Akita.

"Why?" I said. It sounded so desperate. The only problem was, I couldn't explain why I asked.


	4. Chapter 4

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

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Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Still Anko's POV

* * *

I sat at my table sipping tea and thinking. My shoulder had Orochimaru's mark on it. However, he wasn't anywhere near here. Not that anyone knew of. But it had pained me so much when I thought of Akita. Was he planning something for her? I couldn't answer that question. I jumped when I got a knock on the door. I looked at the clock. '_**1 IN THE MORNING!?**_ _Who the hell would call at one in the morning?!_' I thought. I went and opened the door to see Kakashi and Lord Hokage.

"Kakashi. Lord Hokage. What on earth-" I started. Lord Hokage began to speak.

"We do apologize for calling at such a late hour. We hope we didn't wake you." He said. I shook my head.

"Not at all. I was just having some tea. Would you like to come in?" I said while moving out of the doorway. They both walked in and sat at the table. "Would you like some tea? I made too much out of habit." I offered. They both happily accepted so I brought out some more cups and poured the tea. I sat down while rubbing my eyes out of stress. "Now what is this about?" I said quietly. Kakashi looked at me oddly when I spoke with such a hushed tone. I smiled and gestured towards Akita's door. "She must have seen some of our younger ninja practicing and tried to do their jutsus, because when she got home, her chakura was wasted and she fell asleep right here at the table. We shouldn't wake her." I said. Lord Hokage chuckled quietly.

"Of course. Anko, how is it going with Akita?" He asked. It was clearly off topic, but whatever. I smiled again.  
"Oh she's wonderful. She's quite a brilliant girl. I enjoy having her here. It's almost………..It's almost like having a little sister!" I said laughing. Lord Hokage smiled.

"Wonderful. Now, this is why we're calling. Someone has been teleporting in and out of the village. What we're also noticing, is that Akita seems to be connected to this person. The only problem is, she's young and naïve. If she knew this person before she came here and they became friends, she may be in danger. I need to know if anything has happened to you recently." He said. I thought about it, and then slowly gripped my shoulder.

"Today. When I put Akita to bed, my shoulder, more specifically _his_ mark, just ached. I can't explain why. I've been thinking about it all night. The only reason I can think of is that he somehow knows about her, and has plans for her." I said. Lord Hokage nodded.

"It would make more sense. He does know how to teleport. And Akita has told us very little about her past. Plus we all know from personal experience that he is a marvelous actor." Kakashi said. Lord Hokage and I nodded. I heard noise from Akita's room and then a thump. I quickly got up and went to check on her. She was on the floor rubbing her head. I gave her a confused look. "Akita? Are you alright?" I asked. She looked up with one eye. "I fell out of the stupid bed." She said. I laughed. She and I both walked out into the dining room and I got her a late-night-snack.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

"Good evening Akita." Lord Hokage said. I just looked at him while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I then looked at the clock and back at him and Kakashi-san.

"What are you doing here at 1:30 in the morning?" I asked. Kakashi smiled.

"You don't have to worry about it Akita. This is Jounin business." Kakashi-san said. I groaned.

"I miss out on all the good stuff." I said with a sigh. All three of the adults laughed quietly. Anko came over with some cookies and milk for me.

"Don't you worry yourself about it. I'm quite certain that in a few years you'll be part of our little group and you will find it extremely boring." She said. I laughed as I ate my cookies. They talked about something completely pointless. I glared at the three of them and just slowly shook my head. Anko glanced at me and then did a double take, giving me a weird look. This got the attention of the other two on me as well.

"What now Akita?" Anko asked with some humor in her voice.

"You could have just told me that you weren't going to discuss it with me here. But when you try to fake it, that's just insulting." I said. Lord Hokage laughed.

"It would appear our young ninja is even smarter than we already thought." He said. I smiled smugly as Kakashi chuckled. I finished my cookies and yawned. I went over to the couch and turned on the TV to the cartoon channel. I heard them talking more seriously but I didn't care. I was too busy falling asleep on the couch. I was just about asleep until I heard them say Orochimaru's name. I bolted up and walked back over and sat next to Anko. She stopped and looked at me.

"What were you talking about?" I asked with a grin. Anko shook her head in defeat.

"One of you two can answer her." She said. They both laughed.

"Well, Akita, since we can't actually talk about it without you hearing anyway at this rate, we might as well tell you," lord Hokage said. I smiled.

"For weeks now someone has been teleporting in and out of the village. We don't know for sure who, but we have reasonable belief that it is a man named Orochimaru." Kakashi said.

"Well what's so bad about this…Orochimaru person?" I asked, while hiding my alarm that they knew.

"He committed terrible crimes while he was in Konoha. He's become quite the criminal." Anko said.

"What'd he do? And what makes you so sure it was him?" I asked. Anko shook her head.

"You are far too young to know. They were terrible things that he did. And the effects of his deeds remain strong in Konoha. They are the reason we believe it to be him." She said. I yawned and sighed, quite confused. Anko smiled at me. "I think it's time for bed for a certain ninja." She said. I yawned again and shook my head.

"No……not at all." I tried to say convincingly. But I failed and Anko helped me back to bed and I was asleep very soon.

* * *

The Next Morning

* * *

I raced out of the house after breakfast, heading straight into the most secluded part of the park I could get to. After I caught my breath, I quickly tried to detect any other ninja. I soon felt as safe as I could since I found none.

"Orochi-sama!" I quietly called. I heard a ninja teleport into a tree above me and I jumped up. Sure enough it was Orochimaru. He smiled at me when I landed in front of him.

"You called child?" He asked. I nodded. He looked at me carefully. "What's wrong Akita?" He asked. I sighed.

"Is it true you broke the law while you were here?!" I exclaimed. Orochimaru leaned back against the tree and sighed.

"Akita, come here." He said. I moved over next to him and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "Listen to me Akita. Yes I did break the law. However, my intents were good. It was not intentional. The ANBU guards simply did not understand. They look at everything in black and white, while the rest of us see things with a lot more grey mixed in. Do you understand?" he said. I nodded.

"I think so." I said quietly. I looked up at him. "So you did something bad, but you were trying to do something good, so you really didn't do anything at all?" I asked. He smiled and nodded. I smiled. "That makes more sense." I said happily.

"Now, Akita, what brought this topic up?" he asked. I sighed again.

"The Jounin know about you coming to visit me. They know that someone's been teleporting in and out, and they claim to have 'reasonable belief' that it's you." I said with the air quotes. Orochimaru laughed.

"Calm yourself Akita. They may have 'reasonable belief' as you say, but until they have proof, they can't touch me." He said, even using air quotes himself. We were both laughing at the air quotes. He gripped me in a tight hug and sent me on my way. I heard him poof away as I climbed down the tree. I smiled as I went to find Ino to play.


	5. Chapter 5

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The years past and I'm 12 now. I grew up to be quite the ninja. I had taken many things for Orochimaru, but always as a cat. The owners of the shops were only just starting to catch on to my little trick. But Orochimaru said that it wasn't a problem since he no longer needed me to take things for him. I knew some of the Jounin were very surprised with my skill. After all, I was the first Genin to graduate early for quite awhile. Currently, Kakashi-san is my sensei. We'll simply be a 4 person team instead of a three person when the others graduated. Right now, Kakashi and I were preparing for the others to take their survival test. I laughed when he told me about how one of them was going to get tied to a post. Tomorrow I would find out who made it and who didn't. But for tonight, Orochimaru-sama had a surprise for me.

I got permission to leave the village for a little while on my own. Anko helped of course, but most of it was my doing. So, as the sun set, I left the village. It wasn't long until the village was out of sight and I found Orochimaru waiting for me.

"Orochi-sama!!" I called, smiling as I ran to him. I slowed to a stop when I reached him as he smiled at me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hello Akita." He said. He pulled me along with him as he led me farther and farther from Konoha. As it got darker, I got worried.

"Orochi-sama, where are we going?" I asked. He chuckled. Then I saw a small mansion in the distance.

"My home." Orochimaru whispered in my ear as he gestured toward the house. I smiled.

"You live so close to Konoha?! But you said you weren't welcome there. Why would you live so close?" I asked. He smirked.

"The closer you are to your enemy, the farther you are from harm." He said. I looked at him confused. He laughed. "You'll understand eventually." He told me as I got to the mansion. As he showed me around, I was in awe.

"Now why couldn't I just come and live with you?" I asked with a semi-pout on my face. He smiled again at me.

"You wouldn't have been very happy. You would have spent most of your time alone. Instead, you've lived so far with friends all around. You've been happy in Konoha." He said. I smiled. He was always looking out for me. Then some guy came walking down the hallway reading. "Ah. There you are Kabuto." Orochimaru said. The guy looked up and then nodded to Orochimaru. He then looked at me and smiled.

"So this is the famous Shiori Akita." He said. I stared at him, uncertain.

"How do you know my surname?" I asked suspiciously. Kabuto laughed.

"Orochimaru-san told me. Why? Is it a problem?" he asked. I groaned.

"Well……If Orochi-sama told you….then…I guess not." I said quietly. Orochimaru smiled and put his hand on top of my head.

"Akita, this is my right hand man, Kabuto. I have told him much about you, but you need not to worry about it. Kabuto, Akita will be staying with us for the night. Why don't you show her to her room?" He said. Kabuto nodded and motioned for me to follow him as he started walking away. I still eyed him suspiciously and didn't move until Orochimaru gave me a little push. I groaned and reluctantly followed. We walked in silence for a few minutes. Finally Kabuto spoke.

"You have no need to be so cautious of me, Akita. I mean you no ill will." He said.

"That doesn't change the fact that you know much about me, yet I know nothing about you." I said quickly. Kabuto smiled.

"That is a very good argument. Alright, what do you want to know?" He asked.

"What village are you from?" I asked.

"The sound village of course." He said pointing to his head band. I laughed an empty laugh.

"I lived in the sound village with my mother! I never saw you before! What's your _**real**_ village?" I said. He chuckled.

"Clever girl. I didn't think you would remember much from the sound village. Truth be told, I abandoned my original village to serve Orochimaru-san. So now my village is the sound village." He said. I still didn't buy it.

"So you just up and left for Orochimaru?" I said. He nodded. '_Yeah right! More like he was sent!_' I thought. I didn't ask any more questions. If he was going to lie on the simple questions, then there was no point in even inquiring about more complex information. When we got to my room I thanked him and quickly shut him out. I heard him chuckle and walk away. I sighed when he was gone and turned around to see my room. I grinned and squealed when I saw what Orochimaru had prepared for me. There was a full-size canopy bed with navy blue sheets and see-through navy blue curtains. There was a joint bathroom that I didn't care about. It was a bathroom. There was a closet that Orochimaru had filled with all sorts of clothes for me. There was a TV and a very squishy chair. There was a window looking outside upon a garden. I smiled and knew I had to go there. It was lit up by moonlight now. The sun had finished setting. I left my room and headed down to the garden. There were flowers that bloomed only in the night. The moon illuminated them perfectly.

* * *

Orochimaru's POV

* * *

I watched as Akita strolled through the garden. She was enjoying herself here. I smiled, then Kabuto walked in.

"My Lord, That girl seems to be quite the nuisance." He said. I turned and glared at him.

"Do not speak ill of her, Kabuto. She belongs here more than you do." I said and then turned to watch her again. "She was born back in the sound village. Born to be one of us." I told him.

"But my lord, her skills are so far advanced that she-"

"Exactly!" I cut him off. Kabuto looked taken back, but was smart and remained quiet. "I am aware that she annoys you Kabuto. She has her times when she even annoys me. However, she is only a child. We must have patience with her. Besides, her purpose will be made clear soon." I told him. I then glanced out the window and noticed Akita heading back in. She had probably decided that it was time for bed. I couldn't help but smirk.

* * *

FF to EARLY MORNING  
Akita's POV

* * *

I yawned as I walked beside Orochimaru. The sun was just rising and Orochimaru had woken me up extra early to make sure I got back to Konoha on time. My eyes were shut and I was falling asleep while I walked. I woke up again when I walked into Orochimaru and then fell down. I rolled my eyes as I tried to figure out what just happened. Orochimaru laughed quietly as he helped me up.

"I know it's a bit too early for you, Akita, but you must try and stay awake long enough to get home." He said. I whined.

"I'm trying Orochi-sama! I've never been up this early before." I whined. He laughed again and wrapped his arm around me, guiding me along.

"I know Akita. That's why I'm with you." He said. I smiled and leaned against him as I started to doze off again as we walked along.

"Did you enjoy yourself Akita?" Orochimaru asked. I nodded and smiled. "You may come back whenever you like." He said. I smiled again.

"I would like that." I mumbled. After a minute, I remembered about Kabuto. "Orochi-sama?" I said.

"What, Akita?" He said. "I don't like Kabuto." I said. I heard him laugh.

"Why?" he asked. I shook my head.

"He's a liar." I said. Orochimaru stopped and I looked at him.

"So you've noticed this as well?" He said. I nodded. He smirked. "Well then…" He started. He laughed again. I gave him a 'wanna-clue-me-in?' look. "Don't worry about him, Akita. I keep a close eye on him for that reason. After all, when he lies about simple things-"

"Who knows what he'll do for the things that matter." I finished. He nodded. I could see Konoha in the distance.

"And this is where I must leave you." Orochimaru said. I quickly wrapped my arms around him in a hug. He placed a hand on my head and then sent me on my way. When I looked back, he was gone. I got to the gates and found Kakashi guarding them. I grinned.

"Hi Kakashi-san!" I called. He looked down at me and waved. The gates opened and I walked in and Kakashi met me on the ground.

"Akita, were you out all night?" He asked. I grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah. Kinda lost track of time and it was so nice out there, I just fell asleep." I said. Kakashi shook his head.

"Akita, you drive us insane." He said. I grinned.

"I know!" I said and then walked home. When I got there, I laid on the bed and immediately fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

I woke up around 10 and went down for breakfast. I found Anko sitting at the table drinking coffee. I smiled and ran up to her and gave her a hug.

"Hi!" I exclaimed. She laughed and spun me around.

"When did you get back?" she said.

"Early this morning. Around the time when the sun was rising." I told her. She smiled and walked into the kitchen.

"Hungry?" She asked. I nodded. She came back shortly with a plate of pancakes and syrup. I smiled and sat down to eat.

"Thanks Anko-chan! It looks great!" I said. She smiled and went back to her coffee.

"So where did you go?" She said after I finished eating.

"Just wandered around for awhile. When Kakashi-san and I went out on missions and stuff, I always found paths and trails that were hidden away that I wanted to explore but never had time. So I went and explored some of them." I lied. I had gotten quite good at lying over the years. Anko smiled.

"Find anything interesting?" she asked. I sighed.

"Unfortunately it was more fun to imagine what I could've found." I said. She laughed.

"Yeah. That happens." She said after she stopped laughing. I smiled.

"So I discovered." I said. I finished breakfast and hurried to the academy. When I got there they were in the middle of assigning teams. I quietly got in and listened to hear who was on my team.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura. You three will be joining Akita in a 4 person team." Iruka-sensei said. I smiled and slipped out of the room again. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were on your team now. I didn't know how that worked out. I could see how the balance worked between those three, but how did I play in? I was an early graduate, already guaranteed not to get sent back, who had advanced jutsus at my disposal. I smirked. I was on the team to push the others to my extreme. I shook my head. '_It won't work Lord Hokage. They will never reach my skill._' I thought. I went out and soon found Kakashi.

"Kakashi-san! Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are joining us!" I said happily. He nodded.

"I know Akita. I got the memo this morning after guard duty." He told me. I smiled as I remembered this morning.

"So when do they start their survival test?" I asked. He grinned. I've known him long enough to tell.

"We'll greet them this afternoon, and their test will be tomorrow." He told me.

"Alriiiiiight!" I exclaimed.

* * *

FF

* * *

That afternoon, Kakashi and I walked to the academy. I was giggling uncontrollably. Kakashi was reading one of his books again. He kept glancing at me, trying to get me to stop but I couldn't. We were 45 minutes late and I could only imagine what Naruto was going to do to Kakashi. It was going to be something a 5 year old would do so it was going to be ridiculously funny. Kakashi walked in the door and sure enough, an eraser fell on his head. I burst out laughing along with Naruto.

I walked in quickly and as soon as I caught my breathe I said," I told you Naruto would do something, Kakashi-san!" Kakashi looked around the room at the other three.

"Let's see….My first impression of you is…. I **hate** you." He said. I smirked.

"Except me! He adores me!" I told them cutely. I then burst out laughing again, and Kakashi rolled his eyes at me.

* * *

FF

* * *

We were all sitting around.

"Well, why don't you introduce yourselves? Say some of your dislikes, likes, perhaps a goal you wish to attain…" Kakashi said. I grinned.

"Alright! I'm Naruto! I like ramen! I don't like waiting, and someday I'm gonna be Hokage!" He said. I smiled. '_Yeah right! Get in line Naruto._' I thought. Kakashi motioned for me to be next. I rolled your eyes.

"I'm Akita. I like to practice advanced jutsus, I **despise** failures, And I **am** going to be the sixth Hokage." I said. Naruto's head shot towards me as he glared daggers in my direction. Everyone else just looked at me in surprise. I had never revealed that piece of information about myself before. I smiled. Then Naruto smiled.

"Ha! I got no problem with that! I'm gonna be the **fifth** Hokage!" He said. I laughed again.

"There is no way that either of us will be fifth Naruto! Lord Hokage I'm sure has already picked a ninja he trusts as his next successor, and we are far too young to even have the option when it arises. You can be _seventh_, Naruto." I told him. He glared at me again. Kakashi chuckled.

"You next!" He said pointing at Sakura.

"Well, I'm Sakura. I like a certain boy-" She glanced at Sasuke. "I don't like another certain boy-" she glanced at Naruto. I smirked, trying not to laugh. "And my dream….." She trailed off. I rolled my eyes. Then Sasuke started.

"My name is Sasuke. There are things I don't like, and few that I like. My goal is to…….Kill the man that deserves it." He said. I nodded.

"Very well. I'm Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes or dislikes, and my dream, well it's my own." He said. The other three glared at him. I smirked.

"This is Kakashi-san. He likes reading pervert books, he hates waiting for the next issue, and I don't know his dream yet. I'm sure I can get it from Anko later though." I said. Kakashi was glaring daggers at me now. I just smiled at him. He sighed.

"Thank you Akita!" He said quietly, clearly trying to decide whether to be angry or amused at me. I smirked.

"So when does their test start?" I asked. They all looked at me with confusion. Kakashi chuckled.

"Let me explain. Out of the many graduates, only 10 this time can become Genin. Akita here, has already passed her final test so she is guaranteed a place as Genin. That means that only 9 can become Genin now." Kakashi told them. I smiled at them.

"But what kind of test is it?" Sakura asked.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way." I sang. Kakashi laughed at I.

"Akita I believe that is enough hints." Kakashi said. I smiled.

"Tomorrow morning, meet at the park at 5. Bring your ninja gear. Oh and don't eat breakfast unless you want to see it again." Kakashi told them. He then disappeared. I waved at them before jumping off the ledge and jumping from roof to roof until I got home for lunch. I laughed when I found Kakashi sitting at the table reading his pervert book. He waved at me and Anko set a sandwich in front of me at the table as I sat down.

"Joining us for lunch, Kakashi-san?" I asked. He nodded.

"Of course. Haven't I always said Anko's cooking is superb?" He said. I laughed and started eating my sandwich. Bologna, cheese, and lettuce. Best sandwich in the world.

"So what time are we going to show up tomorrow morning?" I asked Kakashi.

"Seven." He said in between bites of his sandwich. Anko smiled.

"The bell test?" She asked. I smiled and giggled as Kakashi nodded. Anko laughed quietly. "Well it ought to be quite interesting with you having one of the bells." Anko said. I giggled. Yes, I was going to take one bell, and Kakashi would have another. We were gonna have them chasing us all over the park. I couldn't wait.

* * *

FF to NEXT DAY

* * *

Kakashi and I walked together to the meeting place to find Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto on the ground, almost asleep.

"Good Morning!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. They all jumped up and glared at us.

"Oi! Why are you so late?" Naruto yelled. I shrugged.

"Well, Akita tends to sleep in, so I had to go fetch her. Then we absolutely HAD to stay for some of Anko's pancakes. Then a black cat crossed out paths on the way here so we had to retrace our steps and take the long way." Kakashi said, not bothering to really look up from his book. I smiled and then rolled my eyes at the book and shook my head.

"Pervert book." I muttered. Kakashi glanced at me before dropping a bell for me. I grinned and started spinning it around my finger. He then put his book at his side and grinned at the three.

"See this?" Kakashi said, jingling his bell.

"Wha? A bell?" Sakura said.

"Yes. A bell. Your mission: To retrieve one of the two bells. I have one, Akita has the other. If you can manage to get a bell from either us, you pass." He told them.

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura smiled.

"That's not too bad." Sakura said, clearly relieved. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Kakashi, then to me, and back again.

"Two bells." He said. Naruto and Sakura looked at him. "There's **only two bells**." Sasuke said. I laughed as all three of them observed the bell I was spinning and the bell Kakashi had.

"But that means…." Sakura started. I laughed again.

"YUP! One of you is guaranteed to fail." I told them. They all glared at me and Kakashi as I tied the bell onto my belt loop on my pants.

"When this timer goes off, the test is over. If you have not retrieved a bell by then, you will get tied to one of those posts and you won't have lunch." Kakashi said. I distinctively heard each of their stomachs growl. "Now, BEGIN!" Kakashi yelled as he disappeared. I laughed as I saw all three of them return their eyes to me. I held up my hands.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" I yelled. Suddenly there were six of me standing now. They all grabbed a kunai and me and my clones laughed. We all ran around each other and stopped back in line and smiled at them. They were looking at me and my clones nervously. We all held up our hands together and did another jutsu. "TRANSFORM!" We all yelled. When the smoke cleared, there were 6 tommy cats staring at them. Then, with ninja speed, we all raced off in different directions. I raced right in between them all. Meowing. I raced off to the farthest end of the park, laughing as much as I could as a cat. All three of them had chased after a different cat. My clones at led them away from both me and Kakashi. I jumped to the top of a tree and snuggled into a cluster of leaves that I could see everything from, but not be seen. I watched. After about an hour I laughed silently as all three of them chased three of your clones nearby. They ran into each other as the clones got away and jumped into the bushes in different directions. They were all panting.

"I……give up… with those damn cats!" Naruto yelled. I smirked.

"I agree. We should split up and go after Kakashi." Sasuke said. They all nodded and jumped to hide and hunt him down. I yawned and snuggled in for a nap after that.

**DRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!**

I yawned as I opened my eyes to hear the faint sound of the timer ending. I chuckled. I jumped down from my tree and gracefully landed on the branches as I made my way down. I met up with some of my clones as I ran back to the posts. I found Kakashi tying Naruto and he had handed Sakura and Sasuke each a lunch. I were then greeted by the rest of my clones. They had not gotten a single one of them. Kakashi saw you and smiled.

"How did you fare Akira?" He asked as I transformed and all my clones went 'poof' at the same time. I showed him my bell as he smiled. I smiled back.

"I only saw these guys twice. Once at the beginning, and then when I was hiding in a tree as a cat, they were chasing three of my clones and ran into each other. Literally. Then they agreed it was stupid to chase me and decided to go after you. After that, I just took a little _cat nap_." I told him. He laughed. The three had beat red faces. I tossed my bell to him and laughed when I noticed he still had his bell. He then turned to Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.

"I'll tell you what. I suppose it wasn't really fair to have the bells separated. So after lunch, I'll give you all another chance. So I'll see you after lunch." He said as he walked away. "And don't share your food with Naruto. If you do, you automatically fail." He said. I then started to walk away.

"See ya! I got some ramen waiting for me!" I said. I heard Naruto groan as I giggled. As soon as I was gone, I grabbed my hidden lunch that Anko made for me and jumped into the tree with Kakashi as he watched them. I split my lunch in half and offered some to him. "Anko's _famous_ tuna sandwich." I said. He immediately took some. I laughed. I watch as they talked and eventually started feeding Naruto. I smiled. "Sweet. They pass." I said. Kakashi looked up and smiled. He then headed down. And who should appear beside me after he was a good distance away than Orochimaru. I smiled but kept my eyes on Kakashi incase he noticed Orochimaru's presence. "You know it's very stupid to be here right now. Kakashi-san is right there!" I said, as I gestured towards him. He chuckled.

"I am fully aware. However, I wanted you know that the next time you come to my house that you are to bring your ninja gear." He said. I looked at him. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "It's time I began teaching you _**my jutsus**_." He said. I grinned, excited.

"Really?!" I exclaimed. He chuckled and nodded. I smiled.

"Until then, Akita." He said as he left. I jumped down and said my goodbyes quickly. Kakashi nodded at me and I went home.


	7. Chapter 7

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

I went back home and skipped right in. She smiled at me.

"Test's over already?" She asked. I nodded.

"All three passed." I said. She looked surprised.

"Well well, that's a first! No one has ever passed Kakashi's test before." She said. I smiled.

"Well they did!" I said. I then looked at the clock. "OOH! It's starting!" I exclaimed.

"What is?" Anko asked, but I had already jumped onto the couch and flipped on the TV. I snapped with the Theme as the Adams Family started. I heard Anko chuckle but I didn't care.

"They're creepy and their kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're all together ooky, the Adams family. Their house is a museum, when people and come and see 'um, they really are a screa'um, The Adams Family." I sang along. "Neat. Sweet. Petite. So get a witch's shawl on, a broomstick you can crawl on, we're gonna pay a call on, The Adams Family." I finished. Anko was desperately trying not to laugh, though I couldn't see that. I didn't notice Kakashi coming in and talk to Anko either. When the show ended, I turned around to go get my stuff from my room all in one place for my next visit to Orochimaru, and was surprised to see Kakashi there. "Oh, hello Kakashi-san!" I said. He nodded at me. Him and Anko then left in quite a rush. "Whatever." I muttered. I then raced upstairs and threw all my extra ninja gear into a messenger bag of sorts and hid it under my bed. I then decided that I would try my spying skills. So I tried to track down Anko and Kakashi. It lead me to the Lord Hokage's office. I sat on the ledge outside it and peeked through the window cautiously and saw a lot of Jounin, including Anko and Kakashi, speaking with Lord Hokage. I quietly listened but didn't get much.

"-And after the test today, I don't know if it was before or after she came down from the tree, but someone was teleporting where Akita was and-" Kakashi then stopped. I didn't know why. Then Lord Hokage leaned out the window and looked down at me. I smiled sheepishly.

"Eh he heh" I said. He smiled.

"Eh he heh." He said mockingly to me. "What do you think you're doing Akita?" He asked. I heard an awkward silence inside.

"Tailing Anko-chan and Kakashi-san." I said with that stupid smile still on my face. I distinctly heard a smack from inside.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because they were acting weird and I was bored." I said honestly. I heard some chuckling inside and Lord Hokage smiled, humor written all on his face. "Um, Lord Hokage, am I in trouble?" I asked. He laughed then.

"Not this time Akita." He said.

"Thank you. I'll be going now." I said. He nodded and I jumped up and ran back home as fast as I could.

* * *

Lord Hokage's POV

* * *

I watched Akita go and then leaned back into my office. I laughed at the scene I found. Anko's face was now bright red, while Kakashi was hiding the only visible part of his face with one hand. Clearly he was the one who made the smacking sound. Gai was moving around poking and teasing them.

"You were tailed by a 12 year old! So just how 'weird' were you two acting together?" He said. This earned a chuckle out of everyone and Anko immediately whipped around and hit him on top of his head. He was then sitting on the ground, clutching his head. Anko glared at the ground in front of her.

"I feel very stupid." She muttered.

"Don't. Akita may be 12, but she's certainly one of the best ninja in this village. She is young, not incapable. The two of you especially, but we all need to keep an eye on her. That girl is…trouble at the best." I said. Anko smiled and nodded.

"I just felt so sure she was so wrapped up in her show that she wouldn't notice." Anko said. I looked at her.

"Again, 12, not incapable……What show?" I said. She chuckled.

"The Adam's Family." She said. Another laugh went around the room.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I walked inside and sat on the couch. I sighed. I hadn't expected to end up eavesdropping on ALL the Jounin and Lord Hokage, I was just curious about Anko and Kakashi's strange behavior. I sat in the kitchen eating cookies until Anko got home. She walked into the kitchen and looked at me.

"One, don't try to follow me ever again. Two, GET OUT OF THE COOKIES!" She said. I smiled and closed the cookie jar and walked away from them.

"I was just having a snack." I said innocently. She glanced at me, and then looked in the cookie jar.

"A snack? You ate half the jar." She said. I smiled.

"And I'm still hungry!" I said. She glared at me.

"Did you and Kakashi get in trouble?" I asked. She snorted.

"No. All the Jounin got lectured thanks to you. And now Gai has a very nice bump on his head, courtesy of me." She said. I laughed.

* * *

FF TO END OF 1st MISSION!!

* * *

I walked into the house, tired and hungry and Anko smiled at me.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"It was a lot harder than any of us planned." I admitted. She smiled.

"What was so hard about it?" She asked.

"There was a criminal ninja and his apprentice involved." I said. Anko looked at me in surprise.

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed. I shook my head.

"Talk to Kakashi. I'm gonna have me a sandwich and go to bed." I said. She smiled and brought me a sandwich.

"Thank you Anko." I said. She nodded and then went off to find Kakashi. I ate quickly and took a quick nap. When I woke up it was mid afternoon, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I ran downstairs to find Anko and smiled. "Anko! Can I go out for the night again?!" I exclaimed.

"Out of Konoha?" She asked. I smiled and nodded. She smiled. "Akita, you only just got back. Don't you want to rest a little before you go exploring again?" She said. I smiled bigger and shook my head. She sighed. "Fine. Tell the guards I said it was ok." She said. I screamed yes and ran upstairs and grabbed my bag from under my bed. I then ran downstairs, taking a sandwich and some cookies with me, yelled a goodbye to Anko and raced out the door. The guards didn't give me any trouble as I left. I ran all the way to Orochimaru's, while eating my snack, and walked in the door.

"Orochi-sama!" I called. He came down the stairs and smiled at me.

"Welcome Akita. Did you bring your ninja gear?" He asked. I smiled and nodded. He smiled and motioned for me to walk with him. I smiled and hurried to walk beside him. "And how was your first real mission?" He asked. I groaned.

"It was a lot harder than we were counting on. We had to deal with a corrupt businessman, a rouge ninja, and the rouge ninja's…Well I'm calling him his apprentice. We weren't expecting the rouge or his apprentice, or all the goonies that the businessman hired. They made things suck." I told him. He laughed quietly.

"It only gets harder from here on out." He told me. I groaned.

"Then I don't wanna go back." I said. He laughed as the we reached my room. I walked in and set my bag down on my bed. "So when will you start teaching me?" I exclaimed. He smiled at me.

"Why are you so eager? You will learn in due time." He said.

"But I wanna learn as soon as possible!" I said. He smiled again.

"After dinner, we can go out back, and I will teach you one of my jutsus." He said. I smiled.

"Awesome!" I exclaimed. "So what's for dinner?" I then said. Orochimaru laughed and shook his head.

"You're a strange one, Akita." He said and walked out. I followed him.

"Seriously!" I said.

"I don't know." He said. I groaned.

* * *

FF TO AFTER DINNER

* * *

I bolted up the stairs and back to my room to grab my bag. The instant it was in my hand, I turned around and bolted back to where I came from. I found Orochimaru about to walk out the door to the courtyard.

"Orochi-sama!" I called. He smiled at me and walked out the door. I quickly followed him with a smile on my face.

"All your gear is in that bag?" he asked once we got through the door. I nodded. "Alright. Pull out any weapon you choose. You only need one this time." He told me. I set my bag down and pulled out a kunai.

"So what are you going to teach me?" I asked.

"It's a jutsu that I believe you are going to need to make your missions easier. It's called Shuriken Shadow Replication. Though your Kunai will work just fine." He said.

"So….What does it do?" I asked. He chuckled again.

"It's a jutsu that multiplies a thrown object into many exact replicas of the original. It's not just an illusion, it creates real clones that all do real damage." He told me. I took a deep breathe and focused my chakura. It sounded way too easy. He smirked at me. "Smart move, Akita. It sounds easy yes, but it requires a lot of focus and chakura. If you run out of either one, then the clones poof away." He told me. He put a timer on a stone and set it for 2 hours.

"What's that for?" I blurted out.

"Remember this Akita, NEVER will one of your lessons end sooner than this timer rings. Understand?" He said with a grin on his face. I nodded. He then turned around and twirled the kunai while thinking. "Akita. You've mastered the shadow clone jutsu, correct?" He asked. I nodded. "Good. This is basicly the same concept. Only, instead of creating a clone of yourself, you're cloning the weapon. It's a transfer of chakra. Understand?" He asked again. I nodded once more. "Good. The seal is sign of the tiger." He said. Then, without warning, he threw kunai at me! Immediately after he did the seal. Almost instantly the kunai was multiplied into hundreds of copies, all coming at me. I jumped up and dodged them as they hit the wall and most of them went poof. I noticed they all left gashes where they hit. I landed and looked at Orochimaru. "Did you get all that?" He said. I nodded.

"I think so." I said.

"Try it." He told me. I quickly threw my kunai at him and did the seal. I got a lot of copies, but most of them went poof, and Orochimaru only had to move a few feet to dodge what was left. "Stay focused!" He yelled at me. Then he did the attack again and I had to jump and roll to dodge all the kunai coming at me. As I rolled past the wall, I grabbed his kunai and did the jutsu again. As soon as I was standing, I threw the kunai and the copies at Orochimaru. He was not expecting and jumped almost too late. A lot more copies stayed in tact this time, but not even half total. He smiled at me. "Better. Again." He said.

* * *

FF 1 ½ HOURS

* * *

I collapsed onto my hands and knees panting.

"Please Orochi-sama! I can't do anymore!" I said in between breathes.

"Get up Akita. I _know_ you can finish this." He said. I glanced at the timer. I still had half an hour to go!

"Orochimaru-sama please! I'm so tired." I said. He sighed in annoyance.

"Akita, what did I tell you when we started?" He said. I groaned.

"Never will one of my lessons end sooner than the timer rings." I said. He nodded.

"Now, GET UP!" He said. I groaned and pushed myself up. I had small cuts and scratches all over my body. This practice battle had not stopped yet. I knew that Orochimaru was treating this lesson like he would a real ninja battle. He did everything he could to hit me. And so, I played the exact same way. I also did everything I could to hit him. I had the jutsu down perfectly, now he was just drilling it. I tried to catch my breath in the few minutes Orochimaru gave me before he began the jutsu again. I groaned and jumped away, while doing the jutsu as well. I threw whatever was in my hand at the same time as Orochimaru. A lot of the clones went poof in the air as they crashed into each other. I dodged them as I dove down back to the ground. I then realized my mistake to jump. Orochimaru now had my weapon, and I had nothing.

"Crud." I muttered as I ran to the side. This continued until I managed to get another weapon from my bag. I continued to throw things at him until all of mine went poof. I searched for the thing that distracted me until I heard the timer going off. I relaxed and fell to my hands and knees again panting. Never had I had a lesson like that. I heard Orochimaru walking, and felt him pulling me up.

"Very good Akita." He said as he supported me until I had my footing. I was over exhausted, I felt ready to pass out right there. Orochimaru sent me up to my room and walked off. I stumbled up and just when I got to the door to my room, Kabuto walked over to me. I looked at him and he smiled at me.

"Would you like some help?" He offered. I laughed slightly.

"I just want to sleep." I whispered.

"Yes but you have quite a few cuts that need to be taken care of." He said still smiling as he followed me into my room.

"You're a medical nin, aren't you?" I asked. He nodded. "And Orochimaru-sama asked you to take care of me." I said. He nodded again. I sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm too tired to take care of this myself anyway." I said. He smiled.

"Glad we're seeing eye to eye." He said. I rolled my eyes and sat down in my chair in front of my vanity. "I'm surprised you lasted the whole way. Not many could've" He said as he started using special jutsus to heal my cuts.

"You don't like me much, do you Kabuto?" I said after a few moments of silence. He stopped for a minute.

"No." He said before he went back to healing me.

"Why?" I asked. He remained silent for a long time.

"Your skills are… a nuisance." He said. I looked at him with confusion. "You can do so much so quickly, that I fear eventually you will be overwhelmed and do something terrible to us." He said.

"So you don't like me because you're afraid of me?" I asked. He remained silent. "That's stupid. I wouldn't do anything to hurt Orochimaru or anyone that serves him." I said as I walked to my bed. Kabuto remained silent again.

"Well, goodnight Akita." He said as he walked out.

"'Night Kabuto." I said. I nestled down in my blankets and fell into a sound sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

I awoke early as Orochimaru shook me awake.

"Akita, it's time to get up. You have to get back to Konoha." He told me. I yawned and sat up rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"What time is it?" I muttered. He ignored my question.

"Hurry up and get dressed. We have to get going." He told me. He then walked out. I sighed and crawled out of bed and stumbled over to the closet. I was still exhausted from yesterday. I slipped on a tank-top and a pair of pants and grabbed my bag. I yawned as I walked out of my room and found Orochimaru waiting for me. I yawned again.

"Morning." I said. He smiled at me and motioned for me to follow him. Soon we were on our way to Konoha. Orochimaru was acting extremely serious for some reason. "Orochi-sama?" I said. He glanced at me and then stopped as we neared Konoha.

"Listen well Akita. NEVER let the Jounin here see you use any jutsu I teach you. Understand?" He said. I nodded.

"Sure. But...Why?" I asked. He gave me a hard look.

"I've already told you that I am not welcome here. You've known that for years. If you use any of my jutsus in Konoha, someone might make the connection between us. Neither of us want that, correct?" He said. I nodded.

"Right." I said. He smiled at me.

"Good. I'll see you soon." He said as he started walking back.

"Bye." I said and headed on my way. I chuckled when I saw Gai sleeping on guard duty. "Gai!" I called out. He remained asleep. I groaned. "Gaaaiii! GAI!" I called. He jumped up and looked around. He smiled foolishly when he saw me.

"Morning Akita!" He called.

"How's your head?" I called back as I passed through the gates. He groaned.

"Anko told you?" He said. I laughed.

"Always." I said as I waved to him and headed home. I walked into the house and dropped my bag on my bed. I wasn't too tired anymore; the cold morning air really rejuvenated me. I yawned again as I grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. I distinctly heard water running and knew Anko was in the shower. I turned on the TV and started watching early morning cartoons. When I heard the shower shut off I smiled. About 15 minutes later I heard feet coming down the stairs. But I was a bit confused when I heard 2 sets of feet coming down. I leaned my head back and silently laughed when I saw who was coming down the stairs with Anko. "So THAT'S why you're over here constantly!" I exclaimed, unable to withhold the laughter anymore. Kakashi blushed. He wasn't wearing his mask. Both Anko's hair and his hair was wet. I smiled at them. "So Anko, I take it that when you're not here for the night, you're at Kakashi's house?" I asked. Anko blushed and turned her back to me.

"Akita, how long have you been home?" She asked meekly. I smirked.

"You got out of the shower 15 minutes ago." I told her. They both blushed and avoided eye contact with me. "Ya know, you two should just warn me when you want to come here for the night. I will GLADLY stay out of town a little longer!" I said half laughing at them.

"Akita" Kakashi started. "Please, do NOT tell anyone about this!" He said quickly. I laughed more.

"Oh but why not Kakashi-san?!" I said loudly.

"Akita! Pleeeaaase!" Anko said. I smiled at the two.

"I don't know. Let me think about it." I said as I went back to cartoons.

"AKITA!" They both yelled.

"Oh c'mon! I can't even torment you a little?!" I yelled.

"**NO!**" they both yelled. I sighed in defeat.

"Fine." I said. They both breathed a sigh of relief. "So why can't people know? After all, you two make a cute couple." I asked. They both ignored me and talked quietly to themselves. Then I got a brilliant idea. "Hey Kakashi-san!" I yelled. He looked at me, clearly annoyed. "You should take off your mask more often." I said as I tried to silence my laughter. Kakashi's hand flew to his face as he realized he wasn't wearing it.

"Shit." He said. Anko tried to stifle her laughter as mine exploded. Anko then walked over to him and started to kiss him. I made a 'yuk' sound and turned back to the cartoons, blaring the volume. I heard Anko chuckle at me before going back to making out with Kakashi. He didn't stay for breakfast, clearly too embarrassed. During breakfast Anko decided to have a talk with me.

"Um. Akita... What exactly did you hear?" She said. I realized what she was asking and immediately blushed at the thought.

"I DIDN'T GO UPSTAIRS!" I yelled. She smiled and started laughing.

"Good!" She said.

"All I heard was the water running, and I turned on the TV. I didn't even know anyone was with you until I heard two sets of feet coming down the stairs." I told her. She smirked and blushed.

"Ok." She said. A few moments of silence passed as we ate our breakfast until I smirked and couldn't resist asking,

"So did you two REALLY take a shower TOGETHER?!" Anko glared at me and threw a handful of scrambled eggs at me. I ducted under the table and laughed.

"Drop it, Akita!" She yelled. I climbed back into my chair.

"I'm sorry." I said smirking.


	9. Chapter 9

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

I skipped around town after the incident with Kakashi and Anko, smirking and giggling all morning. I finally stopped for lunch at the ramen shop and got a ramen. Half way through my ramen I almost snorted it out my nose because Kakashi came and sat down a few seats from me. He didn't notice me because his nose was in his pervert book. I finished my ramen and turned towards him.

"Kakashi-san, do you really need to read that book anymore?" I asked. He closed his eyes and set it down, sighing.

"Damn it, Akita." He said. I smirked as he looked at me. "Will you please drop it?" He said quietly. I smirked even more. He sighed again. "Akita please. Anko and I don't want people to know. Anko hates being the center of attention and if people find out about us, especially the other Jounin, I can guarantee that she will become the center of attention. Especially with Gai. His teasing of both of us will never stop!" He whispered to me. I looked at him, clearly confused.

"Wait, what happened to Anko that she hates the attention?" I asked. I had never noticed anything about her before.

"Things have happened in her past that she wants to forget. However, there are a LOT of people who know about it, and when she's brought up many of them remember them. So she likes to keep to herself. She can't be in the spotlight, Akita." Kakashi said. I nodded.

"Okay." I said. It occurred to me that I really didn't know Anko's past at all. I knew her from the day I met her and not a day before. Kakashi smiled, glad that I understood. I got up from lunch and walked to the park to practice my jutsus, while thinking about Anko. When I got to my spot in the forest that no one could get to, I quickly scanned the area for any ninja nearby. I sensed _no one_ in the whole park… That was strange. I looked around again and got a freaky feeling. That wasn't good. I knelt down and grabbed a kunai out of a secret hiding place in my shoe. I spun around as I stood, as Orochimaru leaned back. I gasped. "Orochi-sama?!" I asked. He smirked at me as he regained his composure.

"Excellent, Akita. You trusted your instincts." He said. I tried to catch my breathe from the shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I asked in a hushed voice. He looked at me surprised. He then smirked again.

"Aren't you a bit young to be using such foul language?" He said sarcastically.

My hands were instantly on my hips as I almost yelled, "I can do whatever I please!" He smirked and placed a hand on top of my hand. His usual sign of affection.

"Of course." He said sarcastically as he walked behind me. I spun around to keep my eye on him.

"So what are you doing here?" I said after a few moments. He smiled at me.

"Sometimes the best lessons must be taught when you aren't expecting it." He said. I sighed.

"And what does that mean?" I asked. He chuckled.

"It means that sometimes you need to be surprised in order to learn to trust yourself. I was just testing you, that's all. You passed with flying colors." He said.

"Trusted myself how?" I asked.

"Your instincts." He said.

"Oh." I said quietly.

"Another lesson for you, Akita. Never doubt your instincts. They are usually right." He said. I nodded.

"I understand." I said. He smiled.

"Good. Now, why are you out all on your own? Don't you have a team to train with?" He said sarcastically. I groaned.

"They're so slow. And weak. Even the Uchiha! They don't compare to me, and it isn't my responsibility to get them to my level. Therefore, I will train alone until they prove they can reach it on their own." I said. Orochimaru smiled again.

"Excellently said. You continue to show rapid progress, as I would expect from a sound ninja." He said, reminding me of my true heritage. I nodded in acceptance of his remark. I knew what he meant. Orochimaru was not only my legal guardian; he was my true leader. I would follow him before I followed Lord Hokage, although I held the Hokage in great regards. I sighed. "Until next time, Akita." He said as he used his jutsu to teleport away. I turned and left, back home.


	10. Chapter 10

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

I got home and went up to my room. I flopped on the bed, just thinking. Orochimaru's words were running through my head. I couldn't help but remember the sound village. I smiled as I thought of it. It wasn't that different from Konoha in all actuality. There were lots of ninja there. Not as many civilians though. It was more like a military based town than a community town. Of course that wasn't surprising, considering Orochimaru was the leader. With the lonely memories, I slowly fell asleep, with dreams full of the sound.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

I sat at the kitchen table. It was late at night. I had been sitting here for hours. Since Akita fell asleep. Something didn't feel right. She was so tired after coming back the first time, and now she went to bed early. What was she doing that was changing her sleeping schedule? Around 10 Kakashi dropped by. I was sipping tea while Kakashi held me in his arms.

"Oh Kakashi, I worry about her. She's my little sister!" I said as I looked up at him. He smiled at me.

"I know. I've known her longer as a friend than a student. I feel the same way." He said. I smiled and pulled down his mask. I then placed a peck on his lips. He smiled at me. "Anko, I know you hate to hear this, but Akita is right. We do have to tell them eventually." He said. I sighed.

"Oh…I know. I just…can't." I whined. He hugged me tighter. I sighed…

**What happened next, I would remember for the rest of my life.**

Kakashi and I jumped up when a scream came from Akita's room. I raced over there with Kakashi right behind. Akita was asleep, thrashing, clearly in the middle of a nightmare. I rushed to her side and started shaking her awake.

"Akita. Akita! Wake up!!" I yelled. She screamed again.

"No!" She yelled. Tears filled my eyes when I couldn't get her to wake up. "No! Please don't!" She yelled.

"Akita!" Kakashi called.

"Don't kill her!" She yelled. I gasped. What was she dreaming about?! Kakashi tried to shake her awake again but it didn't work. "OROCHIMARU DON'T KILL HER!" She screamed. I froze as I realized what she just said. Kakashi shook her again.

"AKITA!" He yelled. Akita jumped into a sitting position, awake at last. She was panting for breathe as her eyes darted around the room. "Akita?" Kakashi said softly. She looked at him, clearly freaked out.

"Kakashi-san?!" she said quietly.

"Are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep." He said. She looked down, trying to think.

"I don't even remember what I was dreaming." She muttered after a few minutes. I reached over and wrapped my arms around her.

"You really scared us. You wouldn't wake up." I said. I noticed how my voice shook.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's alright. The important thing is you're safe now." Kakashi said. She nodded.

"Akita, are you sure you're alright?" I asked. She nodded.

"I'm fine." She whispered. I smiled at her. She went back to sleep and Kakashi and I went to the living room. Kakashi held his head in his hands.

"Damn. What happened to her?" He said. I sighed.

"She was probably caught in the middle of an old memory. She really didn't remember?" I said. Kakashi shook his head.

"I could see in her eyes. Her waking self can't remember. Something horrible probably happened to her before she came here. Sounds like Orochimaru killed someone close to her. Since she was so young, her mind probably blocked it out. Something must have happened recently to bring that memory back, even though it could only reach her subconscious." He said. I sighed again.

"Kakashi, what are we going to do?" I whispered. There were a few moments of silence as Kakashi thought.

"We have to tell the other Jounin and Lord Hokage." He said finally. He sounded defeated. I gasped.

"You don't want to tell them!" I whispered. He shook his head.

"Akita is only a young girl. Whatever happened wasn't her fault. However, the others are going to treat her differently because of it. It's not fair to her. And I doubt she'll understand, but she'll sure as hell notice." Kakashi said. I sighed.

"We'll tell them in the morning." I said.

* * *

FF TO MORNING

* * *

I yawned. Kakashi and I have been talking for hours. I haven't slept AT ALL! I looked up when I heard footsteps. Akita came in, smiling.

"Morning!" She said cheerfully. She looked at Kakashi and her smiled shrunk. "Please tell me you only got here recently." She said in a fake pouty tone. He glared at her.

"You've got to be kidding me." He said as he turned back around. I smirked and laughed quietly. Akita laughed and grabbed some breakfast. "She doesn't remember." Kakashi whispered. I nodded.

"I noticed." I said. Akita came back with bananas, strawberries, and the blender and went to the couch and turned on the TV. She then proceeded to make smoothies for herself while she watched cartoons. I shook my head. "What is it with her and smoothies?" I muttered. Kakashi and I stood. "Akita, we're going a Jounin meeting. I'll probably be back in time for lunch." I said. She nodded. Kakashi and I left and ran to Lord Hokage's office. He looked ready to fall asleep again! "Lord Hokage." I said as Kakashi shut the door.

"What is it Anko?" He asked, clearly half asleep.

"We have a serious problem." Kakashi said. He looked up.

"Oh? And what's wrong?" he asked.

"First we need the other Jounin. Everyone needs to hear this and we'd only like to say it once." Kakashi said. Lord Hokage nodded.

* * *

FF

* * *

As soon as the other Jounin arrived, Kakashi sighed.

"So what's so important that I had to wake up extra early?" Gai said, only to get hit in the back of the head by Asuma.

"Thank you Asuma." I said. He nodded to me.

"Now, you all remember how it appeared that Orochimaru was interfering a few years ago?" Kakashi asked. Suddenly everyone looked more awake and alert as they nodded. "We assumed, when nothing happened, that whoever was causing the disturbances left because they stopped. We were wrong." Kakashi said. I sighed.

"This morning, Akita woke up. Screaming. She wasn't dreaming, she was remembering something that she can't recall while she's awake. She screamed, '**Orochimaru, don't kill her**'." I said quietly. I noticed the pure shock on everyone's face. I sighed again.

"However, she can't remember it at all. Not even when she actually woke up. She remembers nothing from last night. And I guarantee you, this isn't over. Orochimaru is near by, and he did something to make her remember. This is getting very serious." Kakashi said. Lord Hokage nodded.

"I agree. Somebody close the window." He said. Gai closed it, quickly and then Lord Hokage sighed. "There was a dragonfly, flying towards the window with the exact same chakra as Akita." He said. Slight laughter broke out in the room, leaving everyone with smiles.

"Why does she always do this? It's like she has a sixth sense for when we're talking specifically about her." I whispered. Another laugh went around the room. Lord Hokage shook his head.

"Who knows what that girl thinks. Asuma, Gai, I want you both to go out and search the surrounding area for any trace of Orochimaru. It is urgent that we locate where he's hiding. I refuse to allow this." He said. Gai and Asuma nodded and disappeared. "Everyone else, watch out for her. We need to keep an eye on her now, but we can't let her know we're watching. This means that nothing can change, and that she's still allowed to leave when it suits her. Despite the extreme dangers that she probably isn't even aware of, I want her to be kept in the dark about this. She's still a mystery to us. I don't to lose what little trust we've earned from her." He said. We all nodded in understanding and went out to watch her like he asked.


	11. Chapter 11

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I cursed under my breath when I looked at Lord Hokage's office. He had closed the window before I had time to fly in. I made a mental note to ask Orochimaru how to get around that the next time I saw him.

"Hey! Akita! Hey!" I heard someone calling. I turned around and smiled at Ino.

"Hi Ino! How was your first mission?" I asked. She stopped next to me and smiled.

"Boring. You?" she said. I shrugged.

"Corrupt business men, rouge ninja, rouge ninja's apprentice, and hoard of evil dudes hired by business men. Yes, quite boring." I said. Her jaw dropped. I laughed and she shook her head.

"You're kidding." She said. I shook my head.

"Ask Kakashi." I said.

"Wow." She whispered. She then sulked. "All we did was play the roll of messenger." She said. I laughed.

"Be glad you didn't have ours. A lot of people had to die..." I said quietly. She nodded, a grim look on her face.

"What was is like? That obviously ended being a B-ranked mission. It started as a D." She said. I looked away.

"Well...don't repeat this but...I've seen worse than what happened there." I said quietly. She stopped walking and stared at me. I looked back at her.

"What?" She whispered. I sighed.

"Again. Don't tell a soul what I am about to tell you. Understand?" I stated. She nodded. I sighed again. "My mother didn't just die...She was murdered by someone very close to my heart. He remains close to my heart even today. He was..._brutal_ when he killed her. However, I... when it came to it, I gave him my allegiance. I chose him over my mother and he killed her." I explained to her. She looked at me in shock.

"Akita...I had no idea." She said. I smiled.

"It's nothing! Really. I promise." I told her and continued walking. Ino soon followed, but she didn't know what to say anymore. I smiled at her. "You don't have to say anything. I made my choice. I knew everything I could at that age. You're thinking of it as if he just decided to kill her. He never planed it." I told her. She thought about it and smiled.

"You're right. You know better than me on this matter. I'll just let it be." She said. I smiled at her again.

"I'm gonna head out. I feel like having some time to myself for awhile. See ya tomorrow or something." I said. Ino smiled and said her farewells and went her own way. I yawned and headed to my place. This time I didn't plan on going to Orochimaru. I was actually going out. I sighed when I jumped in my window and grabbed my bag. Anko was downstairs. I ran down and found her in the kitchen. "I'm heading out." I told her. She looked at me.

"Out of Konoha? So soon?" she said, clearly surprised. I nodded. She sighed. "Alright." She said reluctantly. I started to walk away when I suddenly turned around and smirked at her. "What?" she said slowly and warily.

"I promise to stay out until lunch tomorrow so you and Kakashi can be done before I get home." I said quickly. I ran laughing as she threw random things at me. I bolted out of the house laughing and noticed I was being followed by Kakashi. I rolled my eyes as I left the gates. He was my sensei, yet he underestimated my ability to detect people tracking me. I sighed as I turned away from Orochimaru's place. I then noticed two more people on my tail. I giggled when I recognized Gai and Asuma's chakra. Now all three were tracking me. "Idiots" I muttered so they wouldn't hear. I walked for a few miles, with the three of them following me, until I came across a beautiful lake. "Wow." I whispered. I threw my bag on the ground and sat down, just looking out at the lake. I noticed a few fish splashing in the water and smiled. I took a shuriken out of the bag. I smiled as I aimed. I had learned how to throw them like a miniature boomerang so they would hit their target and bring it back to me. I watched the fish and threw it at them. "Yes!" I exclaimed as it hit a fish on its way back. The fish's extra weight, made the star land a few feet in front of me so I grabbed it and threw it out there a few for times, getting a fish with every throw. I soon had a fire going and cooking fish. It was twilight now, the sun was almost gone. Kakashi, Gai, and Asuma were all still watching me. I rolled my eyes and grabbed three of the cooked fish. I turned around and threw it at Kakashi.

"Whoa!" I heard him yell. I crossed my arms and glared at his location.

"If you're going to follow me, then at least tell me before hand so I don't have to be insulted when you underestimate me." I said. I then looked in the direction of Gai and Asuma. "Gai-san, Asuma-san, that goes for you both as well." I yelled. All three jumped down from the trees, Kakashi with a fish, they were in with guilty smiles on their faces. They then proceeded to walk over to me.

"Alright, Akita. How long have you known?" Kakashi asked.

"Since BEFORE I left Konoha." I told him. He bowed his head and sighed.

"Now I'm guessing none of you knew I was going out so you weren't prepared?" I questioned. They all nodded. I distinctly heard Gai's stomach growl as he glanced over at my fish. I smiled and laughed. "I figured as much. Go ahead." I told him. They looked at me, confused for a second. I laughed. "I've known about you all following me for hours. Why do you think I caught so many fish?" I said. All three smiled and Kakashi lowered his mask and started eating the fish I threw at him while Gai immediately ran over and grabbed a fish and sat down. I laughed as I sat down and grabbed a fish. Asuma smiled and thanked me as he grabbed the last one.

"Akita, where did you learn to use a shuriken like that?" Kakashi questioned. I smiled.

"Kakashi-san, you know perfectly well that I tend to just pick things up! Why would you even bother asking?" I said. He smiled and pulled his mask back up, as he was already finished with the fish. He shrugged. I giggled again as I remembered what I told Anko. "Kakashi-san, you might wanna go back to Konoha." I told him. All three looked at me.

"Why?" Kakashi said slowly.

"Because I promised someone not to go back until lunch time tomorrow." I said. He smiled and started laughing. He nodded to me.

"Thank you." He said and got up. He then used a teleportation jutsu and left. Asuma and Gai looked at me.

"What the hell was that?" Asuma asked. I smiled.

"That was my way of telling him, 'You're free to spend time with your girlfriend without me bugging you tonight.'" I told him. Asuma broke out laughing.

"Kakashi has a girlfriend?!" Exclaimed Gai. Asuma and I both laughed extremely hard.

"Wasn't it obvious, Gai?" Asuma said. It was now Gai's turn to sulk.


	12. Chapter 12

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

After dinner, Asuma and Gai refused to leave. I glared at them for the rest of the night and waited until they fell asleep. Fortunately for me, I had the ability to stay awake longer than they thought. I faked it, until I heard their breathing even out. I slowly opened my eyes and found Gai on the ground, snoring, and Asuma leaning against a rock sleeping, while muttering to himself partially.

"Pft. Idiots." I grumbled while getting to my feet. I grabbed my stuff and walked around the lake, deeper into the woods. I walked for several miles more, until I felt I was about ten miles from Konoha. It was very late and it was a full moon. As I looked up at it, I heard a wolf howl EXTREMELY close to me. I looked to my right and gasped. There, standing on a boulder, was a demon. A five-tailed, female wolf. The wolf finished howling as the clouds covered the moon and looked down at me. I prepared to grab my kunai, when I noticed its eyes. They were calm. Then more wolves came from around the rock. I noticed from their chakra that they were just normal wolves. I smiled and relaxed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this was your territory. I was just wandering." I said as I looked at the demon-wolf. She cocked her head to the side and jumped down from the rock, landing in front of her pack. She walked up to me, my head reaching her shoulders, and sniffed me. I smiled at her. "I mean you no harm and I don't wish to receive any." I said as I lifted my hand to her level. Demon or not, it was wolf nature to show an allegiance by rubbing fur. The wolf sniffed me again and then I could have sworn she smiled. She pushed her head into my open palm. I smiled and started stroking her fur. She sat down and continued to nudge my hand into petting her. I laughed and scratched her ears. She panted and then turned to her pack. She barked twice and then they all perked up and came over. I laughed and sat down as they crowded around me. They all were trying to get my attention. I turned back to the demon-wolf as I rubbed the side of a young wolf lying next to my. "I thought wolves kept to themselves. Why the sudden change?" I asked her. She 'smiled' again.

'_Many times in the past I've been right to change._' I heard in my head. I jumped when I heard it, but couldn't find the source until I looked back at the demon-wolf. She was 'smirking' and a gleam in her eyes.

"No way." I muttered. She panted and looked up. The moon illuminated the night again. She howled followed by the rest of the pack howling. The pack kept howling as the leader stopped. She walked over to me and pushed me. Then it dawned on me. She had accepted me into the pack and therefore I was expected to act like it. I smiled and petted her muzzle and then cupped my hands around my mouth. I leaned my head back and expertly mimicked a wolf's howl. The leader began howling again. I smiled. It was fun to part of a pack. When the moon became hidden again, the wolves stopped. It was very late and I yawned. The leader looked at me. She walked over to me as I was lying down, and laid down behind me, so my head rested on her side. I smiled as I reached over and pet her head as she snuggled down. The rest of the wolves followed her example and laid down, some of the younger pups deciding to lay on me, and slowly drifted into sweet slumber. I smiled up at the stars as I glanced at the alpha-female behind me. She was sitting up, looking over the pack. There was so much intelligence in her eyes. She seemed so human. And her ability to communicate telepathically was simply astounding. I couldn't understand her sudden interest and care for me. I watched the stars and thought about it. She was a very unique demon. '_She needs a name. But what to call her?_' I thought. I looked at her as she slept. "Maya." I whispered. I scratched her behind the ears and smiled. I got comfy again and soon drifted to sleep.

* * *

FF

* * *

Birds chirping. That was the first thing I heard that morning. I opened my eyes and found myself still laying on Maya even though it was well into the morning. She was laying there, looking at me. I smiled at her and pet her head again as I sat up, yawning. The pack was pretty spread out over the shore. I smiled at Maya.

"So how does Maya sound for a name?" I asked her. She 'smiled' and wagged her tail. I looked up and guessed the time to be about mid-morning. Time to head back to Konoha. I sighed. "I gotta go home, Maya. My family is expecting me." I told her. She growled when I turned to go. "Maya, I'm coming back. I promise. But if I don't go, then they will come looking for me. If they find you, they won't be as kind as I am." I said to her. She perked up, looking alert. Her head dropped and she walked over to me and stopped with me standing next to her shoulders. She gazed at me as I looked at her. "Are you sure?" I asked. Her tails wagged again. I smiled and gripped her fur and hoisted myself up onto her back. She then took off at such a speed I almost fell off. She was so fast! In almost no time I found myself only a few hundred feet from Konoha's gates. She slowed to a walk and I slid off her. I fell to my knees, I was so shaky from her sudden speed. She licked my cheek, causing me to burst out laughing. "Thanks Maya." I told her as I pet her for the last time that day. As I was walking away, I quietly howled, my way of telling her to expect me again. She 'smiled' and howled back and then ran back to the pack. I smiled and walked the last distance to Konoha. I laughed when I noticed who was getting yelled at by the Hokage right outside the gates. My laughter brought the yelling to a halt. "Getting your asses chewed out?" I asked Asuma and Gai. They both glared at me and Lord Hokage sighed.

"That was some stunt you pulled last night." Asuma said. He was normally so cheerful, and here he was starting to give me a lecture. I shrugged.

"I don't like it when people try to follow me." I said walking past them. I nodded respectfully to Lord Hokage and headed inside the city.

"That girl's more trouble than she's worth sometimes." Gai muttered. I smirked. When I got home I walked in and found Anko napping on the couch. Kakashi was sitting next to her, watching TV.

"I'm home!" I called. Kakashi smiled at me and Anko groggily opened her eyes. She yawned and smiled at me.

"Hey Akita." Anko mumbled. I smiled, quite happy with myself. Then I grinned devilishly.

"And how was your night?" I asked sarcastically. I ducked as Kakashi threw a kunai at me. I went to my room, laughing.

* * *

FF

* * *

Time flew pretty quickly and eventually two months zoomed past. I had gone on another easy mission, visited with Orochimaru a few more times, and seen Maya more. Now I was going back to visit Orochimaru.

"See ya, Anko!" I yelled as I headed out. She yelled a goodbye and I rushed out of town. I quickly zoned in on the ninja who was following me. I rolled my eyes when I found them. I kept outsmarting the Jounin so Lord Hokage had started sending ANBU's after me. Lord Hokage was convinced something was dangerous out there. But I was certain I was fine. I was friends with a demon and Orochimaru was practically my godfather. He wouldn't hurt _me_! As soon as I as about to the point that Orochimaru or someone should meet me, I turned my back on the ninja. I quickly cast an illusion jutsu and fled after I felt the ninja get trapped in it. None of the ninja at Konoha knew I could do that. Orochimaru had only recently taught me when he picked up on the Jounin following me. As soon as I met up with Orochimaru, he glanced back and sensed for the ANBU. He smirked.

"Where did you send him?" He asked with amusement in his voice. I smiled and looked for him. I laughed when I found him.

"I wasn't paying attention when I cast it, I only focused on getting him away from us. I think I might have sent him on the path that we took on our last mission." I told him. He laughed quietly and shook his head.

"I cannot stress to you Akita, that you **need** to have a destination in mind BEFORE you cast that jutsu." He scolded me.

"Sorry." I muttered. He started walking back with me following him.

"We'll just have to work on it." He said. I sighed. That meant that either today or the next time I came, he was going to drill me constantly on that jutsu. We arrived and I quickly went up to my room to drop my bags off. I was a little surprised that Orochimaru had walked with me. I set my bag on my bed and turned to him.

"What?" I questioned. He smiled at me and walked over to me. He went behind me and wrapped his arms around me. This was odd for him. Even odder was that he rested his chin on my head. It was too much affection.

"I have a...favor to ask of you. But I'm worried about the effects it will have on you." He said. I looked up at him, nervous now.

"What kind of 'effects'?" I questioned.

"Well at first, you'd go through a lot of pain. And I do mean _**a lot**_. However, that would be quick to pass. Most likely you'd pass out from the pain. The effects that last are actually quite wonderful. It will make you a stronger, better ninja. It all depends on if you think you're ready for it." He said. I thought about what he said and one part sounded out of place.

"What do you mean if I'm ready? You intend to this eventually, no matter what?" I questioned. He smirked.

"Yes. I have plans for you, Akita. Big plans. Plans that only you can fulfill." I opened my mouth to ask what, but he beat me to it. "Don't even bother. I refuse to tell you until you make the decision. You have to be ready for this before I start with you. If I tell you my plans for you before you chose, you may become bias and chose to do it before you're ready. Understand?" He said. I nodded.

"What kind of pain would whatever you're talking about bring about?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know exactly. Every human has a different reaction. I can only tell you that it would be a lot." He said. I thought about it. I was always stronger than the rest of the ninja my age, and I had limits that were much higher than the average person.

"I suppose...I can try." I whispered. Orochimaru's arms tightened around me. I could hear his smirk.

"That's my girl." He said to me. "C'mon." He said as he started to walk away, releasing me from the awkward hug. I started walking after him after a moment. He led me up the stairs another level and ushered me into a room I had never been in. He followed me and shut the door. I looked around this new environment carefully. Kabuto was mixing several liquids together. My eyes widened as I recognized several of the potions that I had stolen as a cat for him. I then realized what he meant all those years ago..

_"A very unique potion. One that does not concern you. At least, not right now." He said. I looked at him confused. _

_"What do you mean?" I asked._

_"Don't worry about it Akita. It won't concern you for a few more years." Orochimaru said. I sighed. _

_"I don't understand Orochi-sama." I said. He smiled at me._

_"You will." He said._

"All those potions..." I whispered.

"I told you, you'd understand." Orochimaru whispered to me. Kabuto finished mixing things together and turned toward the two of us. There was now a glass filled with a bright blue liquid. Something was swirling in it. Something inside of me suddenly screamed to get out. "I need you to drink that, Akita." Orochimaru said. I slowly started shaking my head.

"Now that I think about it, I'm not so sure I want to." I said quietly. Orochimaru sighed.

"You already agreed Akita. Had you not, I would not have had Kabuto mix them. But they are mixed now. You can't go back or all the work you did for me as a cat will go to waste." He said. He walked away from me and Kabuto extended his arm to hand the mixture to me. Slowly, with shaky hands, I took it. I eyed it, now very worried about what I had agreed to do. Orochimaru kneeled beside me and tilted my head so I looked at him. "You have nothing to worry about. The pain will pass soon enough and then the hard part is over. Trust me, Akita." He said. I bit my lip and looked at the mixture again. I sighed. Then, before I could continue to second guess myself, I forced it all down. It was cold as ice on my throat and hurt going down. As soon as I finished it, pain erupted in my stomach. I heard glass shatter, and realized I had dropped the glass. I fell to my knees and screamed. What started as ice now felt like it was burning me from the inside out! I felt something wet running down my face and realized I was crying from the pain. I couldn't feel or focus on anything but the pain and my screams. I fell onto my side and tried to curl into a ball as more screams escaped me. I felt someone lift me up. Next I heard Orochimaru's voice. "Shhh...Focus on me. On making the pain go away. You can overcome this." He whispered into my ear. I tried, but it seemed that when I tried the pain increased ten fold.

"I **CAN'T!**" I cried.

"Shh...You can. Trust me." He said. I screamed again. I tried again. I could have imagined it, but I thought that the pain might have diminished some. I focused on making it go away. The pain continued to slowly, but surely, lessen in intensity. I was gasping for breathe as I regained some control. I felt so exhausted. I didn't understand. "Well done, Akita." Orochimaru muttered. I sighed and was then consumed by darkness as I finally passed out.

* * *

I groggily opened my eyes. My whole body felt extremely sore. I was back in my room. In my bed. There was a washcloth on my forehead. Then Orochimaru came into my view.

"Orochimaru-sama?" I muttered. He smiled at me.

"Well done." He said. He then changed the washcloth with a cooler one.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You managed to stay conscious throughout most of the pain. I'm quite surprised actually. By how much you were screaming, I felt certain you were going to blackout within the first half-hour at least. But not you." He said. He smiled at me.

"You lasted almost two hours. Quite impressive. You did get a small fever though." He said. I looked at him in shock.

"It was two hours?" I asked. He nodded.

"What did it feel like?" He asked.

"Minutes." I muttered. Orochimaru laughed at that. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Four-thirty in the morning. You have plenty of time to sleep before you need to go back to Konoha." He said. I relaxed and drifted into actual slumber..

* * *

I awoke again and saw the sun filling into my room. It was late in the morning. I had a terrible headache. I sat up and held my head. I had two options. Listen to my stomach, which desperately wanted food, or stay in bed and hope for Orochimaru or Kabuto to come in to check on me. After my stomach gave a monsterous growl I decided I couldn't wait. Slowly, I got to my feet and made it to the hallway. I almost collapsed from my lack of strength. I was caught by someone though. I looked up to see Orochimaru smiling at me.

"Did you expect me to not recognize that you were awake? You should have waited." He said. Kabuto then walked down the hallway. He seemed shocked when he saw me.

"I'm _really_ hungry." I said quietly. Orochimaru turned toward Kabuto.

"Go and get her something to eat. Akita and I need to talk. And make certain it's something that she'll be able to keep down. I cannot afford to send her back to Konoha if she's ill." He said.

"Can I have something for my head as well? I have a terrible headache." I whispered. Kabuto nodded and turned around and headed back as Orochimaru helped me up and back into my room. I sat in my chair, as it was closer than the bed. "Why did I have to-" I started. Orochimaru held up his hand to silence me.

"Akita, you are aware of my immortality skill, correct?" He asked. I nodded.

"You can live forever as long as you have another body to take control of." I said. He nodded.

"Yes, that is what I believed. However, I discovered more recently that the jutsu only extends my life to a certain extent. It will stop working within the next 40 or 50 years if I continue to use it. If I chose not to, then I will die most likely in the next 20. Understand?" He said. I nodded.

"Yes, but what does this have to do with me?" I questioned. He smiled at me.

"You are the closest to a daughter I have. You are also naturally more talented than most ninja I have ever met. And the potion you drank last night, along with the ones that will follow, will help accelerate your skills. By the time I am finished with you, you will know everything I know AND you will be stronger than me." He said. I stared at him with shock and alertness written all over my features. Orochimaru smirked at me. "You're the next Sannin, Akita. And as such you are also my handpicked successor as leader of the Sound Village, Otogakure." He said. My jaw dropped.

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me." I said quickly. Orochimaru laughed. Kabuto then walked in with ramen, a glass of water, and two Tylenols. My stomach roared again. He set it down in front of me and left. I quickly swallowed the Tylenol and began to devour the ramen.

"Slow down, or you'll puke simply from eating too fast, too soon." Orochimaru told me. I was quick to comply. As soon as I was done, I felt better and my headache was getting better. "Now that you're finished, come. I have a few people for you to meet." He said as he walked over to me. I started to stand up, still a bit shaky and sore from last night. He grabbed me gently and pulled me up the rest of the way. I grabbed my bag. He then walked out of my room and downstairs with me following. In the living room, four people were lounging around. I stood a few steps behind Orochimaru. They all greeted Orochimaru appropriately and respectfully before turning their attention back to what they were doing. Except the red head. She noticed me and leaned her head back to get a better view of me.

"That the kid?" she asked. Everyone else then looked up at me. I could feel them staring me down, trying to sum me up for whatever strength I might have.

"Now Tayuya, treat Akita with respect. After all, she is my goddaughter and your future leader." Orochimaru said. He said it calmly, but I could sense the threat in his voice.

"Mm...Hai, Lord Orochimaru." Tayuya said.

"I expect you four to take extra care of her when you bring her back to Konoha. And be alert. Sarutobi has been trying to track her with ANBU. Of course, they might not pose any threat this time, what with Akita sending them all over the planet." Orochimaru said, with obvious annoyance in the last part. I grinned.

"You are never going to drop that, are you?" I said.

"Not likely." Orochimaru said. I groaned. Orochimaru placed his hand on my head and stared at me with a slight smiled on his face. I gave a small nod as my goodbye and with that, he left. I sighed and looked at the people. The guy with silver hair smiled warmly at me.

"Greetings Akita-sama. I am Sakon. This-" He pointed at the sleeping head on his back "- is my brother Ukon." Sakon said. I smiled at him. Then another guy started to speak.

"Kidoumaru, Akita-sama." He said while smiling at me. I noticed his arms and smiled.

"Spider. Cool." I said. He laughed and the others, except Tayuya, smiled. The last guy then spoke.

"I'm Jiroubou. Nice to finally meet you, Akita-sama." He said. I smiled politely. I then looked at Tayuya. She had an annoyed look on her face, even though her eyes were closed.

"What's your problem Tayuya?" I asked, now annoyed by her. Sakon sighed.

"She's just a bitch. Ignore her." Kidoumaru said. Tayuya glared at him and I laughed. "Shut up you little brat!" She snapped at me. Sakon glared at her.

"Be kind to our little _kage_, Tayuya. You wouldn't want to upset Lord Orochimaru." He said in warning. I sighed, worried.

"What's wrong, Akita-sama?" Sakon asked. I shrugged.

"Nothing really." I lied. Sakon glanced at me.

"Your lies might work in Konoha kid, but we can see through them easily. We're Lord Orochimaru's bodyguards, after all." Tayuya said. I glared at her.

"You couldn't just drop the subject?" I demanded. She opened her eyes again and glared at me.

"You insolent little-" She started but stopped when Sakon was suddenly next to her holding a little kunai to her throat.

"I don't give a damn how bad your day is going, Tayuya. You **will** treat the little kage with respect." He said. Tayuya glared at him and then sighed in defeat. Sakon removed the kunai.

"Can you...please stop calling me 'little kage'?" I asked. Sakon looked at me and smiled.

"You would do well to get used to it, Akita-sama." He said. I groaned.

"Not now. Besides, we have to get going." I said. They all stood and walked with me back. When I got outside something obviously cam across Jiroubou's mind.

"Akita-sama, what did Lord Orochimaru mean when he said you were sending ANBU all over the planet?" He questioned. I laughed.

"Well, I only recently learned how to do illusion jutsus, and I used it on an ANBU. It worked, but I didn't pay attention to where I sent him. For all I know he's in the Lightning Nation." I said. They all, even Tayuya, burst out laughing.

"At least you were able to do it!" Kidoumaru said. I smiled and sighed.

"That was what I thought. Orochi-sama doesn't agree." I said. Tayuya stopped walking. She looked like she was going to burst out laughing.

"Tayuya?" Sakon asked.

"Orochi-sama?" She said, grinning. Sakon glared at her.

"Tayuya, no. He'll kill you if you use any nicknames little kage has for him." He said. She sighed and started walking again.

"It would have been priceless too." She mumbled. I giggled. I got to the marker, where I leave them behind and quickly went to Konoha. I was a bit unnerved by the glare Kakashi gave me when I got to the gates.

"What?" I asked innocently after I got in and he jumped down to me.

"Where did you learn illusion jutsus?" He demanded. I got a guilty grin on my face. He sighed. "Let's go. Lord Hokage wants to see you." He said and turned to take me up there. I groaned and started following him.

"So...am I in a lot of trouble?" I asked. He shrugged. I sighed. I really hoped this would end soon. My headache was coming back. Kakashi walked into the office.

"Look who I found." He announced. I walked in and noticed the other Jounin.

"Hey cool! I didn't have to try and sneak in this time!" I said. Anko glared at me. "What?" I asked her.

"Ok. I don't really care where you learned that jutsu, but do you realize where you sent that ANBU?" She demanded. I smiled and laughed.

"Well...unfortunately I forgot to focus on _**where**_ I was sending him. That was only my second time doing it. So where did he end up?" I asked. The Jounin were split in half. One half was looking at me with rage, the other half was looking at me in shock. Anko was in rage. Kakashi in shock.

"He realized that you had used an incomplete jutsu just as he entered the water nation." Lord Hokage said. He was looking annoyed. He was the only one that wasn't freaking me out.

"Whoopsy." I said. The anger in the room had died down some, after realizing that it was pure accident.

"Very well, you may go now." Lord Hokage said. I turned to leave.

"HOLD IT!" Anko yelled. I turned and grinned at her.

"Yeeess?" I asked.

"I am not finished with you. You will wait here until we are done." She said. I smiled.

"No problem." I said and sat right there smirking uncontrollably. She glared at me. Gai sighed.

"I give up Kakashi. You win this round. I can't do Sudokus." He said handing him a book and a pencil. Kakashi opened the book and smirked.

"You didn't write a single thing." He said. Gai laughed.

"I kept erasing actually." He said. I eyed the book.

"May I try?" I asked. Kakashi looked at me.

"This book is nothing but the expert level Sudokus. I doubt you'd be able to even get one." He said. I shrugged. He rolled his eyes and handed the book over to me. I started going at it.

12 minutes later I closed the book. The Jounin were talking about something boring.

"Done." I said. Kakashi and Gai looked at me.

"12 minutes, impressive for your first time." Kakashi said. I groaned.

"I didn't do just one, I finished the whole book!" I said. All talking stopped. Everyone looked at me again. Kakashi snatched the book and flipped through it.

"She...did." He said.

"She did 100 expert sudokus in 12 minutes?!" Gai exclaimed. Kakashi nodded.

'_Alright Orochimaru, what did you do. Since when am I this smart?_' was the only thought that crossed my mind. My smile never left my face as I forced them to buy my lie.


	13. Chapter 13

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

After I finished the sudokus, Anko and I walked back home.

"Illusion jutsus, Akita?! Really, I thought you knew better than to use jutsus against ANBU!" She was lecturing. I wasn't hearing much. I was trying to think about why I was so smart. Obviously this was why I had a headache when I woke up. It must have been that potion he had me drink. I saw some kids running on the roofs laughing. They were ninja like me. I saw Kiba and Akamaru. I looked to where they were running.

"Kiba! STOP!" I called. They didn't hear me and kept going.

"What?" Anko said as she watched them. I sighed.

"They're going to fast without enough power. They're going to overshoot the next jump and go threw a window!" I said. Anko looked at me in confusion and then watched Kiba and Akamaru again. I watched them jump, fly, disappear, CRASH! I sighed. "Window."

I said as Anko ran over to them. I sighed again and walked over. I found Anko helping Kiba up and I picked up Akamaru. "You okay, boy?" I asked. He whined and licked my chin. I smiled and set him down. He shook himself and then barked and ran over to Kiba. Anko started lecturing him about reckless behavior. I sighed again and walked home. When I got there, I walked into my room and shut the door behind me. I jumped on my bed and stared at the ceiling...

FF

I heard the door slide open to my room and looked over. Anko was standing there, giving me a weird look.

"Have you been here this whole time?" she asked. I gave her a confused look.

"Time?" I asked.

"What time? How much time has passed?" Anko's face turned to shock.

"It's been six hours, Akita." She said. I turned and looked out the window. It was indeed almost sunset. The light was coming in from the west and it was low.

"I didn't know it was so late." I mumbled and sat up.

"What happened….Akita?" She asked. My mind was running away again. I couldn't explain it. What did he do?!

* * *

FF

* * *

After a few weeks, I had finally got control over my mind again. The last few times I was with Orochimaru, he had been training my mind. He was teaching me how to think critically and solve my problems on the spot. It was very handy. We were on a two-team mission right now with Team Gai. Reports of a circle of minor criminals were surfacing in a nearby town. It was expected that two genin teams could handle it. Our two teams were selected because we were the two top teams right now. When we got to the town, I noticed something was off. The people were rushed. They desperately wanted to get home. I was able to pick off the goons for the circle easily. They were the ones in the shadows who were only watching. Us nine walked right past one of them. The two of us locked eyes and I _knew_ that I would be going after him as soon as Kakashi and Gai set us seven loose. We got to the only hotel in the place and signed in. Kakashi and Gai then gave us all the okay to go. I was gone before they finished turning around.

'_Where did he go?_' I thought as I jumped from roof to roof. A kunai flew past me. I skidded to a halt and glanced at it. It came from a tower. I jumped to the clock tower. THERE HE WAS! I jumped past him and punched him in his jaw. He fell back with a yell.

"You really are quite sloppy!" I yelled. He sat up and looked at me.

"What do you want?" He growled.

"You are part of the circle of lower-class criminals. You're a look-out. You will tell me where your leaders are or I will extract the information myself." I demanded. He laughed and stood up. He was a good head and a half taller than me.

"You're just a kid. Go home, runt." He said. I punched him again, but he was expecting it so he grabbed my wrist and tried to throw me. However, the punch was a diversion. I had a kunai waiting and I cut his face. He yelled and released me. I turned and glared at him.

"So I do have to extract it myself! Fine." I said and started doing hand signs. "Mind Read Jutsu!" His memories and thoughts suddenly rushed through my mind. I collected everything about the organization and left his mind before I got too deep into it. I smirked. "Thank you for showing me your hideout." I said politely. He glared at me and shakily got to his feet.

"You little bitch." He spat out at me. I grabbed my kunai and attacked him again. He dodged and spun, whiling pulling out a few shuriken. I turned and smirked. I grabbed a kunai.

"Shuriken Shadow Replication!" I yelled as I threw my kunai. He was thrown back and pinned to the wall. I smirked and tied him to the side of the tower. Kakashi or Gai would find him eventually. I was headed off to their hideout. Soon enough, I discovered the entrance. Naturally it was guarded by two big brutes. I sighed and walked up to them.

"Run along, kid. You're not allowed to play around here." One of them said. I smiled at them.

"Who says I'm playing?" I asked sweetly. They gave me a weird look as I pulled out a kunai. They both yelled and ran at me. I flipped in mid-air and jumped on one, hitting a pressure point, the other got slashed by my kunai. They both went down. "Weak." I groaned. I walked up to the doors and noticed the emblem. It was a red cloud. I arched an eyebrow as I observed it. "Small ring criminals don't have emblems." I mumbled. I pushed the doors open and saw that no one was there. Something wasn't right. Cautiously, I allowed one foot into the hallway. I jumped back as kunai shot across the hallway. I smirked. "Oh please." I started to go again when someone grabbed me and pulled me back. I fell and skidded in the dirt a few feet. I looked up and gasped. "Kakashi-san?! WHAT THE HELL?!" I yelled. He turned on me with a stern look.

"Get out of here, Akita. This goes a lot higher up than we knew. You don't know the danger you're in just by finding this place." He said. I got chills from that look. It reminded me of how he acted when he was still part of the ANBU.

"What's going on?" I asked quietly. He shook his head.

"Not now. GO!" He yelled. I jumped to my feet and ran back to the hotel. Once there I met up with Gai, Sakura, Neji, and Lee.

"Akita! Glad to have you back. What's got you worked up?" Gai asked. I glared at him.

"What organization uses a red cloud as an emblem? Because I found it!" I yelled. Gai looked tense.

"I know. I found the goon you left in the clock tower. I checked out what he knew and when I found what you had uncovered, I sent Kakashi after you. You have no idea what you jumped into." He said.

"Then why don't you clear the fog." I said. Sasuke and Naruto walked in.

"What's with all the yelling?" Naruto asked. I groaned when Gai shook his head.

"This is not fair! I was so fucking close!!" I screamed. Then TenTen walked in.

"So close to what? I swear Akita, everyone in a block radius can hear you." She said. I rolled my eyes and groaned. Kakashi then followed TenTen in.

"Kakashi-san! What the fuck is going on?!" I asked.

"We're heading back to Konoha. Now!" Kakashi said.

"WHAT?!" I screamed.

"We've only been here a few hours!" Naruto exclaimed. Gai looked at Kakashi.

"Did you figure out how high up this goes?" He asked.

"We're dealing with a pawn. However, he's important enough for them to care. We don't want them to get involved." Kakashi said motioning towards us kids. I screamed in frustration.

"THIS IS SO STUPID! I WAS SO FREAKIN CLOSE!" I screamed and went upstairs.

"Don't mind her. She has issues with not completing a mission." I heard Kakashi say before I slammed the door. I jumped on the bed, crossed my arms, and glared at the ceiling. I took a deep breathe and remembered Orochimaru's lessons on how to calm myself.

_"Damn it, Akita! Stop losing your temper!" He yelled at me. _

_"I'm sorry! Incase you haven't noticed, I'm an extremely large explosive with an extremely short fuse." I yelled back. _

_"Then focus it!" He yelled again. "Now breathe. Focus. Empty your thoughts of everything." I sighed and did as I was told. I listened to his mantra and I felt my anger slowly ebbing away._

I opened my eyes with the mantra ringing in my head. '_Strength comes from sacrifice. Sacrifice comes from discipline. Discipline comes from practice. Practice comes from strength._' I sighed. It was a circle. A balance. It worked. I sat up feeling perfectly calm again. I took a deep breathe and slowly exhaled. A knock was heard at my door.

"Enter." I said. Kakashi walked in.

"Akita, did you ever even bother to unpack?" He asked looking around. I shook my head, my annoyance now returning. "Good. We're going back to Konoha. Grab your bag. Let's go." He said and turned and left. I groaned and grabbed my bag. I sighed as I thought about the base that I never got to explore. The leader I never got to hunt. My fuse was starting to light.

"Strength comes from sacrifice. Sacrifice comes from discipline. Discipline comes from practice. Practice comes from strength." I muttered as I walked down the stairs. I groaned when I saw everyone with their stuff as well.

"What did you find, Akita?!" TenTen whispered.

"The fuck if I know. They won't tell me." I growled. TenTen sighed and we all walked out of the hotel, and then the village and started towards Konoha. Several hours later, we all set up camp and went to bed. I was leaning against a tree, sulking. Kakashi glanced at me, sighed, and put his book down. I rolled my eyes as Kakashi got up, walked over, and sat beside me.

"Ya know, sometimes not completing a mission is for the better. There are just some things that you can't do yet." He said. I turned away from him.

"I could have done it NOW!" I whined. He sighed.

"Akita, you don't know that. You're still just starting as a ninja. Don't jump to conclusions. That's the kind of behavior that gets you killed." He said.

"I know what I'm doing, Kakashi-_san_." I grumbled. He sighed and went back to the other side of camp. I sat up staring into the fire for a few hours, once again lost in my mind. I snapped out of it around midnight. I glanced around to find Kakashi and Gai both lightly sleeping. All the other genin were out a long time ago. I smirked and got up, grabbing my weapons. I quickly changed behind a tree into more battle appropriate clothes. I smirked at my teammates and ran back to town.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

I woke before dawn and looked around, immediately noticed Akita was missing.

"GODDAMNIT!!" I muttered boldly, causing Gai to wake up.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he yawned.

"Take a look. Akita's gone." I said. Gai looked around, panicky.

"Where-"

"I guarantee she went back to try and finish the mission. I've got to go after her." I said as I stood up. Gai stood and grabbed my arm.

"We'll send ANBU after her, but right now we have a responsibility to _these_ genin." Gai said, motioning to the sleeping ninja.

"You take care of them Gai, I'm going after her." I said.

"Kakashi!" Gai said.

"I've known Akita as a friend longer than as a student. She's like my baby sister. _I'm going after her!_" I said. Gai sighed and nodded. I dashed back to the village.

* * *

FF 8 hours

* * *

I ran back into town and went back to the base. The doors were ajar.

"Damn it." I muttered. Akita was already here. I dashed in and found my way around the maze of rooms. When I got to the main room where their small leader would be, I couldn't believe my eyes. There was Akita, half covered in blood, pulling a bloody kunai out of a man's neck. She looked really stressed though. Her eyes weren't leaving the body of the man.

"Akita?" I called. Her head shot towards me, and I saw the alertness in her features. She softened when she saw me.

"Kakashi-san...Told ya so." She whispered as her legs gave out. Immediately I was at her side, arms wrapped around her, keeping her up.

"I told you, little sister, you weren't ready for this. You've used up all your strength." I said. She smiled as I picked her up.

"But I did it!" She said quietly, obviously content with herself. I couldn't help but smile. She was persistent as hell.

"Akita-_chan_..." I said.

"Yes, onii-chan?" She asked. I smirked.

"You're grounded until the end of the century."


	14. Chapter 14

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

Gai's POV

FF 2 DAYS

* * *

We were all back at Konoha. We made it back right on time. However, I was worried about Kakashi and Akita. Anko was biting anyone's head off who got in her way. She completely freaked when I told her what happened. Anyway, I was wandering around the village, completely bored without Kakashi to challenge, when I heard a very faint scream. A girl's scream. Though, it didn't sound like whoever screamed was in danger. Curious, I walked to the front gates. I breathed a sigh of relief when Akita and Kakashi walked through the gates. Then confusion set in. Akita was yelling at Kakashi and Kakashi was glaring down at her, occasionally saying a thing or two. Then Anko showed up at my side.

"They're back." I mumbled to her. She glared at me for a second before going back to look at Kakashi and Akita. Some of the other ninja were here now, reveling in the sight.

"**BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!**" Anko yelled. They both stopped talking and looked at Anko. "Now, what is going on?" Anko asked. Akita point at Kakashi.

"HE WENT FROM SENSEI TO BIG BROTHER ON A MISSION! **YOU CAN NOT DO THAT ON A MISSION!**" She yelled. Anko sighed, clearly relieved that THAT was the only reason they were fighting.

"Akita, what else?" She asked.

Akita answered, "Well, I've been grounded to the end of the century."

"Starting _now._ Go!" Kakashi said and pointed in the direction of Anko's house.

"Anko!" She cried.

"I agree with Kakashi. GO!" Anko said and also pointed. Akita yelled in frustration and started walking. As soon as she turned a corner, Kakashi sighed.

"What the hell happened?" I asked.

"Why did you ground her? After all, there's no way she actually completed that." Anko said.

"That's EXACTLY why I'm worried. She **did** complete it!" Kakashi said. Anko gasped and I felt myself go cold. Akita, a genin who only got out of the academy a few months ago, finished an ANBU ranked mission?! Kakashi started walking. "I have to speak with the Hokage. Maybe he'll be able to figure something out for her." He said.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

I knocked on the door to the Hokage's office and entered. Lord Hokage looked up and smiled.

"Welcome back Kakashi. You managed to catch up to Akita?" He assumed, just like everyone else. I sighed.

"Not exactly in the way you're thinking." I said. He looked confused. "I did catch up to her, but it was after she had already _finished the mission_." I explained. He folded his hands and rested his chin on it.

"I see. So their leader, their link to the Akatsuki and our link to finding the Akatsuki, is dead?" Lord Hokage asked.

"Well...That's not entirely true." I told him. He looked up. "You see, I don't know all of what Akita did. However, she's convinced that if we have a few lookouts just wait around that base, then sooner or later the people with the real power will show up. I...Well I actually think we should trust her and do as she says. She worked like an ANBU sir. It was one of the best jobs I've ever seen. And this is the first time she's killed. I mean her eyes were just locked to that guy. If it wasn't for the fact that she responded when I called her name, I would have thought her mind was on autopilot." I explained. Lord Hokage was deep in thought.

"Alright. I'll assign an ANBU to watch the base. I want to speak with Akita, though. And soon, if Anko doesn't mind." He told me. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Don't worry. Akita has all the time in the world. I've grounded her and Anko decided to agree with me." I informed him. He laughed. I turned to leave when a thought struck me. "Sir, why are you not having Akita turned over to the ANBU? They usually deal with this sort of trouble." I questioned.

"Akita's case is different. I'm quite certain there is more to this situation than anyone but Akita is aware of. No, the ANBU are powerless here. I want to handle this myself." He said. I nodded and left.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I walked into my room and grr'd. I threw myself on my bed and hit the mattress out of frustration. What was I supposed to do now?!

"Akita?" Anko called as she walked in the house.

"What?!" I yelled from my room.

"May I come in?" She said, completely unaffected by my yelling.

"Your house!" I replied. She walked in and sat beside me.

"Akita, Kakashi and I are only doing what we think is best for you. You can't stay mad at us." She said.

"Watch me." I said. Anko sighed.

"Akita, please." She pleaded.

"Why should I? I finished it! Kakashi said I couldn't do it and I DID! What's the problem?!" I yelled.

"The problem is that it should have been left to those who had training with that kind of situation and knew what to expect." a voice said. I looked over and saw Kakashi in the doorway.

"And what do _you_ want?" I demanded.

"Don't be angry at the messenger, Akita-chan." He said. I sat up and turned my back to them. "Fine, be angry at the messenger. Just know that whenever you have time, which would be now, Lord Hokage wants to see you." Kakashi said.

"Why?" I demanded.

"He just wants to talk." Kakashi said.

"Go on Akita. You shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting." Anko said. I groaned and jumped up and walked past Kakashi and went to the Hokage's office. I was muttering insults the whole way there. I took a deep breathe as I climbed the stairs to Lord Hokage's office, trying to calm myself so I wasn't still muttering insults when I saw him. I knocked on the door and slowly walked in.

"Uhh...You, uh, wanted to see me?" I said quietly. He smiled when he saw me.

"Akita, yes, come." He said. I walked in and shut the door.

"So...What's up?" I asked. I could see him smirk for a second.

"Akita, I want to talk to you about what happened in that town." He said. I sighed.

"I figured as much." I said.

"First off, what drove you to go back?" He asked. I looked down. The truth was, Orochimaru was always telling me not to come back from a mission unless it's finished. But I couldn't tell him that! So I came up with the next best thing.

"My mom. She was always saying that if you don't finish a mission that you know you could've, then you shouldn't come back or you shouldn't have taken it in the first place. It's harsh, but it always drove her to finish it. She never came back reporting failure. I knew I could do it, Lord Hokage! And when Kakashi-san said we were going back, the first thing that popped into my head was what would my mother say?" I said. He smiled at me. He got up, walked over to me, and knelt down in front of me.

"Akita, I don't know what your mother would say, but I do know that here in Konoha it's not a matter of finishing. It's a matter of safety. You are still a child Akita. You should not have killed. That's why it's left to the higher-ranking Jounin and the ANBU. They're at that level. You're not." He said calmly.

"Well why the hell not?" I asked, slightly snappy. He chuckled.

"Don't be in such a rush. Akita, you're going to be a great Ninja. Just wait a little longer." He said. I sighed. He smiled and sent me on my way.

* * *

Lord Hokage's POV

* * *

I sighed when she left. Something was wrong here. She was lying. Her mother never said that. But someone else did. And recently too. I had used a special jutsu to look into her mind. Kakashi was wrong. She was on autopilot when she killed them. She remembers it perfectly, but she didn't think. She acted on instinct. And she was right. It was alarming. It was Kakashi's chakra that took her off autopilot before he got there. She recognized it and used it to regain control. I sat behind my desk again and sighed. Someone important in her life wasn't in Konoha. Yet somehow they were seriously influencing her. I sighed.

"This will not end well." I whispered.

* * *

Akita's POV

ff 2 WEEKS

* * *

I sat on the floor in my room throwing kunai into a target on the wall. Being grounded sucks. My trap worked and they managed to catch a messenger to the bigger ring leaders. However, that didn't make Kakashi-san or Anko-chan any happier with me. So I was doing the only thing I could to pass time. Target practice with every weapon that would fit into my room. I was about to throw another kunai at my target when I felt chakra approaching my window. I threw it over there without looking. A swoosh and then nothing. I looked over to see Sakon holding my kunai. I smiled.

"Sakon!" I exclaimed as I climbed to my feet and walked to my window. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Lord Orochimaru was worried about you so he sent me." He explained. I sighed.

"Well, I'd love to go visit but I've been grounded to the end of the century." I said, aggravated. He looked at you with amusement.

"And just what did you do?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Long story." I said. He smiled.

"Well it would appear we both have time." He said as he climbed into my room. I smiled and sat back down and started throwing kunai again. He sat beside me as I relayed the story...

"wow..." Sakon said as I finished telling him.

"Yeah. They won't tell me what I did. I think they're just upset over the fact that I killed." I told him. He shook his head.

"No. That organization is huge. They're upset that you got involved. You should have ignored Lord Orochimaru's words. That was a very stupid move on your part." He said. I turned to glare at him.

"Then _**you**_ explain to me what I did!" I sort of yelled. It was really good that Anko was out right now and I was home alone. I was only still home because everyone who could stop me knew I was grounded and knew why. Sakon glanced at me.

"Have you heard of the Akatsuki?" he asked. I stiffened as it all finally clicked.

"That was the emblem of the Akatsuki?" I asked quietly. He nodded. "So, I pretty much just fucked with someone who had the protection of the baddest of the bad?" I asked. He nodded.

"From the sounds of it, you took out one of their suppliers. They relied on those petty criminals to keep themselves on top of everything. Now you said that your trap worked on a messenger?" Sakon asked.

"Well that's what they told me." I said. Sakon nodded.

"Is anyone home right now?" he asked. I sighed.

"No, but every high-ranking ninja knows I'm grounded and knows why." I explained. He stood.

"Then let's go. I'll get you around the other ninja." He said. I smiled.

"Thanks Sakon." I said. He smiled at me.

"Of course, Akita-sama." He said. I quickly grabbed my bag out from under my bed and climbed out the window. And so, with Sakon leading the way, the two of us headed out. Sakon jumped across a few roofs and then jumped into an ally. I landed behind him. The two of us walked to the edge of the shadows when he suddenly pushed me back. Iruka and Asuma walked by, laughing and telling jokes. I glared at them and stuck out my tongue. Sakon glanced around. "What here until I signal you." He said. I nodded as he dashed across the street filled with Jounin, expertly avoiding detection. He got to the roof on the other side, and watched the people walk along. After a few minutes he motioned for me to follow and I jumped across. My first thought was the fact that there were still plenty of Jounin in sight, but none were facing us. I landed next to Sakon. He glanced at me and then around and headed out again, with me following close behind. We encountered no more problems until we got to the wall.

"And what's your plan for that?" I asked sarcastically. He smirked.

"Wait." He said. I glanced at him.

"Wait? For what?! Someone is _always_ on duty!" I exclaimed.

"Shh...Just wait, Akita-sama." He said. There were two guards. After a few minutes one left. Then the other looked around nervously. He then sighed and laid down. I smirked and started to laugh.

"Idiot." I said. Sakon smirked.

"He does this every night." He said. My jaw dropped.

"Oh he is so fucking dead!" I said.

"Not a smart move. Then everyone will know you were out tonight. We don't want that, now do we?" He stated. I groaned.

"It would have been priceless." I muttered. He smirked and the two of us jumped past the now sleeping imbecile. I then sprinted past Sakon and ran to Orochimaru's place. I threw open the doors and ran in and crashed on the couch. "FREEDOM!" I exclaimed and then burst out laughing. Sakon then walked in and shut the doors.

"Well, just incase your yell didn't already tell him you're here, I'll go get Lord Orochimaru." He said.

"Thanks Sakon!" I called. After a few minutes, Orochimaru walked into the living room where I was located.

"There you are, Akita. I was beginning to worry that something happened." He said.

"No I'm fine Orochi-sama. I've just been grounded to the end of the century." I said. He gave me a confused look. "Well... it's a long story. Want me to go into full details or confine it to a nutshell?" I asked. He smiled a little.

"Nutshell." He said. I smiled.

"Ok...Go to village, hunt down goonies, find goonies base, Kakashi-san stops me from going further, we leave, I go back in middle of night, kill a few guys, Kakashi-san catches up to me, he brings me back to Konoha, and I'm grounded." I said in one breathe. Orochimaru was giving me an 'Are-you-fucking-serious?!' look. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. When I gave Sakon the FULL details he told me that the minor ring I eliminated were suppliers for the Akatsuki." I said. Now he looked surprised.

"You took them down all on your own?" he asked. I nodded. He smiled and walked over to me. His hand rested on my head again. I couldn't help but wonder why that was the only way he seemed to show affection. "I'm proud of you, Akita. You did very well." He told me. I smiled.

"Thank you Orochimaru-sama." I said sincerely. "So," I said as I stood. "Any chance I can learn something new tonight?" I said. He smirked.

"Well, there's a chance." He said. I groaned.

"That's not what I meant." I muttered. He laughed.

"Then be more specific with your questions." He said. I sighed.

"Can you teach me something new tonight?" I said. His smirk grew.

"I could." He said. I glared at him.

"That's just mean." I said. He laughed.

"Third time's the charm." He said.

"**Will** you teach me something new tonight?" I said quickly. He smiled.

"I believe I already have." He said and turned to walk away.

"Oh C'MON! That's not funny!" I yelled. He laughed and looked back at me.

"Really, now? I find it _quite_ amusing." He said. Out of no where I threw a kunai at him. He caught it without looking back. I gasped. "Temper, Akita." He said as he turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" I started.

"It's alright. Just focus. Keep your emotions in check." He said. I nodded. "Now, I suppose I could teach you some new taijutsu styles." He said. My face lit up. I quickly followed him out back to the courtyard.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

I walked into the house a little after one in the morning. I yawned. Akita was probably up in her room. I yawned again.

"Why the fuck did I have to get a late-night mission?" I mumbled. I went towards the stairs and peeked into Akita's room before going up. She wasn't in her bed. I walked in and looked around. She wasn't there. I shook my head. "Akita, you are in so much trouble." I mumbled and headed to Kakashi's.

I pounded on the door to Kakashi's apartment. He opened the door, clearly groggy, and only half dressed.

"Anko? What the fuck?" He said. I glared at him.

"She's gone." I stated. He yawned, not noticing my glare.

"Who?" he asked.

"Akita." I stated. Suddenly he looked very awake and very aware of my glare.

"WHAT?!" He yelled. I slowly nodded. He groaned and walked away, as I followed him into the apartment. He threw a shirt on and I grabbed some coffee and reheated it. Coffee was one of the few things I could always count on Kakashi having. "How long?" He asked as he finished dressing.

"I don't know. I got home at one and she wasn't there so I don't know. Probably a few hours." I said. He shook his head and grabbed a cup and reheated it as well. After the two of us finished drinking the cups we headed out.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

Orochimaru threw me to the ground again. I sat up slowly. It was now two in the morning. I was having trouble getting the hang of his fighting style. Because of it I kept losing my footing and he would throw me across the field and onto the ground. I didn't stand this time. He stared at me and then sighed.

"It's late, go to bed." He said. I groaned. I didn't want to go to bed. I'd have to go home and face Anko in the morning. He smiled. "Now now Akita. You'll have to face Anko eventually. It will be easier if you're well rested. Now to bed you go." He said.

"But I don't wanna leave in the first place. Why should I have to go back and be in trouble? I did the right thing! It's not fair." I ranted. He smiled and laughed a little.

"Life's not fair, Akita. Besides, the responsible thing to do is to go back." He said.

"Well maybe I don't want to be responsible! Where's the fun?" I mumbled.

"Akita, I can't leave the sound village in the hands of a kage who I can't be sure will act responsibly. Therefore you'll go back." He said. I sighed in defeat.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." I mumbled. I climbed to my feet and turned to go in. "Don't worry Akita. I'll have Sakon teach you how to avoid the ninja in Konoha so you will be more free to come and go." He said. I smiled at him.

"Thank you, Orochi-sama!" I said. He nodded to me.

"Now, bed." He said. I rolled my eyes and went inside.

"Good night, Orochimaru-sama." I said. He nodded and smiled at me before I went upstairs and drifted to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

I quietly snuck into the village, with Sakon's assistance with getting over the wall undetected. I quietly opened my window from the outside. I set one foot on the ground and suddenly my body couldn't move! I heard footsteps and looked towards the door. It slid open and there stood a very exhausted and angry Anko.

"Do you have any idea what you put me through?!" She yelled. She did a hand sign and I fell to the ground. Anko walked over to me. "Well?!" She exclaimed. I stood and returned her glare.

"So what?! I know I did the right thing! Who cares if it was Akatsuki?! THEY LOST!" I screamed. She looked a little surprised that I knew it was Akatsuki, but continued on.

"Akita, you had no reason or right to go out last night!" Anko yelled.

"Ya know what, I DON'T CARE! You're NOT my Mom! You're my foster sister! I don't care what anyone says, YOU'RE ONLY THE BOSS WHEN I'M OKAY WITH IT!" I yelled. I proceeded to run out the front door. Anko yelled my name, though she didn't sound angry anymore. More like upset. I didn't care though. I just kept running. I didn't even know where I was going. When I stopped, I looked around. I was in the park. The forest. In the secluded part that Orochimaru used to visit me. I sighed as thoughts of my mother surfaced that hadn't surfaced for a long time. I jumped up into the tree and sat on a branch, leaning against the trunk. I stared up at the sky as tears started to cloud my vision. Sobs started wracking my body. "Mommy...Why'd you go?" I whimpered. Then I buried my head in my knees and let the tears fall.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

What she said hit me like a ton of bricks. I had always seen her as my little sister. When she compared me to her mom, I realized in an instant how overprotective I was of her. I tried to call after her, but she was already gone. I slowly went and sat on the couch. I sighed. True, the two of us were, in factuality, foster sisters. However, I've known her as my baby sister for so long, that I tend to forget that I just took her in. Kakashi soon walked in.

"Hey Anko. Any sign of her?" He asked. I nodded. "So where is she now?" He asked. I shrugged and shook my head. He sighed and sat down beside me. "Anko, love, what happened?" he said as he pulled me into a hug.

"Do you think I'm too hard on her?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Well, I'd say no, but then again I'm probably bias." He said. I couldn't help but smile.

"When she got home, we got into an argument and she...she said I was only her foster sister and I'm the boss of her only when she's okay with it." I told him. He hugged me tighter.

"Well, that's a slap in the face." Kakashi said.

"Yeah...I don't know what to do Kakashi. Something's wrong with her and I can't figure it out." I whispered. He gave me one final squeeze and then stood.

"Don't worry. Now that she's back in town, I'll find her. I'll talk to her." He said. I smiled at him.

"Thanks Kakashi-kun." I stood and gave him a small peck through his mask.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

After I left Anko's to search for Akita, the first place I went was the park. She went there often when she was younger. She probably knew it better than anyone in the whole village. I sighed when I got to the center. Now came the hard part. Sensing her and hunting her down. I sighed in relief when I was able to sense her. She was surprisingly close. Now it was a matter of actually reaching her. I started walking towards her, when there was practically a wall of trees stopping me. I groaned and attempted to go around it. This went on for about 10 minutes until I finally realized it was an awkward circle. Akita had found a way inside this.

"Damn it." I muttered. I crouched down and looked around. I finally found the way in. A spot of vines had been pushed aside. I pushed past them and found myself in a nice clearing with a few trees inside it. Its beauty surprised me, along with the fact that I never knew it was here. Then I heard the sobs. I looked up into the trees. There, in the first one was Akita sitting on a tree branch crying. If it wasn't for the fact that I had gotten here by sensing her chakura, I wouldn't have known to look for her. She was hidden so well. I silently jumped up and crouched in front of her. She must have been crying for awhile. Her knees were soaked. Gently I pulled her head up. She gasped when she saw me. I smiled at her and started wiping away her tears. "Hey...What's the matter, nee-chan? I don't like to see you cry." I told her. She sniffled again and started wiping her eyes, though she was still sobbing. I carefully moved so I was sitting beside her on the branch and wrapped an arm around her. "Hush now, nee-chan. Everything will be fine. Anko's not mad at you. I'm not mad. You seriously know how to frustrate people though. Where'd you run off too?" I asked her. She sniffled some more and started to tear up again. I started gently rubbing her arms. "Shhhhhh. Come on, Akita-chan. Let's get down from this tree." I said as I scooped her up into my arms. I jumped down and sat up against the tree, Akita in my lap. I was still rubbing her arms and softly shushing her as tears were running down her face again. I just sat there with her, trying to remember what my mother used to do. Before I knew it I was slowly rocking her back and forth. "Shhh. Nee-chan... What's wrong?" I whispered when her sobs lessened.

"I-I y-yell-lled at Ank-ko-chan. I said sh-she wa-wasn't-t my m-m-mo-o-m-m. And-" She broke off because she started crying again. It clicked in my head that she was crying for her mom. Old memories had resurfaced when she yelled at Anko. There was nothing anyone could do for her. So I just continued to shush her and rock her again. Eventually, she started to calm again.

"There now, little sister. It's alright. I understand. You were thinking about your mom, weren't you?" I whispered to her. She nodded.

"W-why did she have to die?" She muttered.

"Sometimes these things happen. What happened to her?" I asked. She sniffled.

"KIA." She said. '_KIA. Killed In Action. Damn. No wonder she's still having a hard time with it after all these years._' I thought. There were a few moments of silence as she composed herself.

"How'd you do that?" She asked.

"Do what?" I said.

"You knew how to help me calm down. How'd you do it?" She asked. I smiled.

"I tried to remember what you girls always do for each other." I said. She smiled.

"You were thinking of _**your**_ mom, weren't you?" She said. I nodded.

"C'mon nee-chan. Let's get you home." I said as I stood, Akita still in my arms.

"I don't wanna go home!" she said quickly. I looked at her kindly.

"Nee-chan..." I started.

"Please Onii-san? Just not yet." She said. I sighed.

"Alright. You can spend the night at my place. But tomorrow you're going home." I told her. She smiled.

"Thanks Onii-san." She said. I hugged her closer and kissed her forehead.

"Not a problem, Akita-chan." I told her. Then I quickly started jumping trees and headed to my apartment.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

Kakashi carried me back to his apartment. I was grateful for that. After the day I've had, I doubted I would have made it myself. I couldn't believe it, but when Kakashi and I left my secret spot, the sun was setting. I had spent the whole day crying in my sensei's arms. I was so tired I was actually starting to fall asleep as he carried me. Everything was becoming a blur. The next thing I knew was soft sheets beneath me. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in Kakashi's apartment. He was standing beside me. He smiled at me when he saw I was awake.

"Go back to sleep, nee-chan. You need it." He whispered. And so, my eyes drifted close and sleep consumed me.

* * *

Anko's POV  
RW 10 MIN

* * *

Kakashi had gone out for Akita hours ago. I was so worried about the two of them, that I went to Kakashi's apartment to wait for him. I was debating burning his books when the door opened. I spun around and sighed in relief. Kakashi was walking in the door. Akita, in his arms. Concern and worry washed over me again when I saw she had been crying.

"Kakashi-" I started to question him, but was cut short with a shake of his head. Quietly and carefully, he carried her into the guest room. He shut the door partially. I quietly stood behind it and watched as he set her down. She started to wake up. Soon enough, she was awake and sleepily looking around the room. Kakashi smiled at her.

"Go back to sleep, nee-chan. You need it." He whispered. Akita sighed as she fell back asleep. Kakashi pulled a light blanket over her and walked towards me. I shut off the light as he finished shutting the door. He then turned to me.

"Kakashi, what happened?" I asked. He started walking towards the couch.

"You see, she's not angry at you. Never was. She's worried that you're angry at her. She was thinking of her mother. Remember that dream she had? When Orochimaru killed someone, I think it was her mother. She said she was KIA. If she witnessed that, then it would have been devastating. It would also explain so much." He said. I sat down beside him.

"Kakashi, are you sure about that? We can't be jumping to conclusions." I mumbled. He sighed.

"Anko, I'm almost positive. It all fits. The only part that makes me worried or unsure is the fact that she had to actually know Orochimaru. Not just his reputation, but him personally. It makes me question what kind of person her mother was." He said. I looked down, memories of my time with Orochimaru flooding back.

"She might not have been bad. Just naïve. Don't forget that Orochimaru is excellent when it comes to fooling people. Akita would be easy to trick." I stated. Kakashi looked at me kindly.

"Yes. I recall. You would know, wouldn't you?" he stated. I sighed.

"It's the fact that I know that worries me even more. So why did you bring her here?" I said, taking the opportunity to change subjects. He shrugged.

"She wasn't ready to go home yet. So I told her she could spend the night here, but she has to go home tomorrow. You have nothing to worry about." He said. I smiled.

"She's an angel." I said quietly. Kakashi nodded.

"An angel that I would like to protect." Kakashi said. I glanced at him.

"You're right. I'm not 100 percent sure about the connection with Orochimaru. So I really see no reason to tell anyone else about it. Do you?" He asked with a grin on his face. I smiled.

"Not at all." I said slyly. I went over and kissed his cheek and then said my goodbyes.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I awoke the next morning in an unfamiliar room. Wait, never mind. Upon further inspection and a little more time to wake up, I discovered it to be Kakashi's room. '_That's right. I came here after crying._' I thought to myself. I yawned as I climbed out of bed. I started walking towards the door, when I spotted Kakashi's pile of pervert books. I smirked and took a mental note of where they were for future reference. I walked into the hallway and yawned again.

"Morning Akita. Did you sleep well?" I heard from the living room. I smiled and walked in to find Kakashi lounging on the couch, watching TV.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks." I said as I sat beside him. "What are you watching?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I've been changing the channel every five minutes. Nothing good is on yet." He said. I grabbed the remote went to the cartoon channel. I smiled when the winx club started. "Aren't you a bit old for cartoons Akita?" Kakashi asked. I shook my head.

"You're never too old for cartoons!" I exclaimed. Kakashi chuckled.

"There's some cereal on the table. Go eat, and then you're going home." He said. I groaned.

"Are you sure she's not mad at me?" I said. Kakashi hugged me.

"She's not even the slightest upset with you. She's just worried. She cares about you." He said. I sighed.

"Alright." I muttered and went over to the table and started pouring my cereal. Soon enough I was walking down the street with Kakashi back home. I whined when the house came into view. Kakashi sighed at my reaction.

"C'mon. I'm sure she's worried and we don't want to keep her waiting any longer." He said. I bit my lip and walked with him to the door. I pushed it open and Kakashi and I walked in. Anko looked over her shoulder from where she was sitting on the couch and smiled. She then got up and walked over to me. I was a little nervous, after the two of us fought. So when she knelt down and pulled me into a hug, I was needlessly surprised.

"You had me so worried." She said before she released me. I smiled at her. She kissed my cheek, in that sisterly way, and then stood. "Thanks for bringing her home, Kakashi-kun." She said. Kakashi smiled as he turned towards the door.

"What are brothers for?" He said. And then he was gone. Anko kneeled again and hugged me.

"I'm sorry I yelled." I mumbled. Anko pulled back and smiled at me.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Akita. It was my fault. Sometimes, I forget that you had hard spots in your life before Konoha. I forget that sometimes you just need to get out. I was at fault. Not you." She said. I smiled. She stood and went back to the couch. I was about to get a snack, when I remembered the Akatsuki. Cautiously I walked back over to Anko.

"Anko?" I asked.

"Yes, nee-chan?" she said. I smiled.

"Uh... was that small ring really connected to the Akatsuki?" I asked quietly. Her smile fell. She nodded.

"Do you understand now why it should have been an ANBU mission?" she asked. I nodded.

"I think so." I told her. She smiled at me.

"Good." She said.

"So," I said perkily, "Shall we burn them or flush them?" I held up Kakashi's books. Anko burst out laughing.


	16. Chapter 16

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Weeks have past. Kakashi came back almost immediately to get his books. It ended in laughs for Anko and I. In those weeks, I've seen more of Maya and Orochimaru. His damn 'experiments' had continued. He had combined with my mental power, an enhanced sight. I had eyes like a hawk, thanks to him. Now I was running to the bridge to meet my team. We were going on another higher-ranked mission. The job: Hunt down and detain a petty criminal in a neighboring town. That town didn't have ninja of their own, so us five were going. However, the rest of the team wasn't happy. In every mission so far, I have been finishing it alone. The truth was, I could think and plan in a heartbeat. And sometimes I saw a window of opportunity that I couldn't wait to plan with them because it was closing fast. Kakashi understood, but he was still disappointed that I couldn't work as a team member.

"Yeah! Akita! Where ya been?" Naruto exclaimed. I slid to a stop right in front of my team.

"Sorry I'm lake Kakashi-san." I said quickly. Kakashi nodded, putting his book away.

"Alright, let's get going." He said. Everyone grabbed their stuff and the five of us headed out. After about 10 minutes of silence, Sasuke turned to me.

"Akita. Do you think you could at least _try_ to work as a team this time?" He said coldly. I sighed.

"It's not my fault! Sometimes I just recognize opportunity faster and I go for it." I said. Sakura glared at me.

"Yeah, but when you do, you completely ignore us!" She exclaimed. Then, surprisingly, Naruto turned to my defense.

"Hey! Don't yell at her! It's not her fault! Maybe it's ours! If we were as smart as Akita, then maybe she wouldn't need to ditch us! Maybe we'd see what she sees and we _could_ work as a team! Believe it!" He yelled. I smiled and Naruto laughed. Kakashi, who had watched the whole thing, rolled his eyes and sighed. '_Perhaps she can work as team after all._' He thought. I continued to smile until we stopped to rest for the night. Then Kakashi handed out a poster with the picture of the guy we were after. I recognized him immediately, though the others didn't. And with good reason. He was from the sound village.

"His name is Hajimi. He's our target. He's a petty jewel thief. His home village is unidentified, but he has some skill as a ninja. Treat him with caution. Understood?" Kakashi stated.

"Hai!" we all said quickly. Kakashi sighed.

"Alright then, let's get some sleep."

I was the first one to wake the next morning. After further inspection, I determined that I awoke because something startled me, not naturally waking. Then I heard it. A rustle in the bushes. Quickly, I was on my feet with a kunai ready to defend my sleeping team. Suddenly, something large and furry jumped out and tackled me. I gasped as I fell and then giggled as my face got licked. It was Maya!

"What are you doing here?" I whispered as I pushed her off me. She panted and went back to licking me. I giggled and pet her. "Maya, you can't stay. We're on a mission!" I whispered. She whined. I stood and pet her head. She pushed on my hand and I smiled. "You have to go, Maya. I'll see you when I get back." I whispered. She whined, turned, and started walking back. When she got to the forest line she stopped and looked back at me. '_Be careful Akita. He's not the same man you remember_.' I heard in my head. I smiled at Maya. "I will be. You don't have to worry." I said. She looked at me for a few more seconds and then jumped into the forest. I smiled.

"Akita?" I turned around and saw Kakashi rubbing his eye. "What the hell was that?" He asked. I smiled again.

"Oh nothing Kakashi-san." I said happily. He eyed me suspiciously but let it drop.

"Well, I suppose we better wake up these sleepy-heads."

The five of us reached our destination and Kakashi immediately set us loose.

"Well Akita, what do you see?" Sasuke asked after the four of us walked for awhile. I made a careful scan of the area around me. '_Note to self: Thank Orochimaru for my eyes._' I thought. I sighed after a few minutes.

"He hasn't been in these parts of town. Not yet, at least." I told them. Sakura whined and Naruto groaned. Sasuke remained silent. Then I caught a glimpse of something. "Wait a minute. Follow me. Quick." I whispered. Then I jumped up and over onto the third rooftop. Sasuke landed behind me. Sakura and Naruto were a bit slow to catch up.

"What do you see?" Naruto asked. I walked the edge of the building, eyeing the guard rail carefully. I smirked.

"I was wrong. He was here." I said quickly.

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything!" Sakura exclaimed. Sasuke activated his sharingan and walked over. He inspected the rail and a smirk flashed across his face, gone the second it was there. Sakura and Naruto hadn't noticed.

"I saw that." I said quietly. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Akita's right. He was here. But I can't tell where he went." He said. I smiled.

"I can." I started walking away from the rail and the jumped to the next roof. My team followed. Sasuke smirked.

"I see it now." He said. I smiled and nodded. Sasuke and I proceeded to lead Naruto and Sakura strait to Hajimi. He was hiding in an abandoned warehouse.

"Be careful. Sasuke and I are the only ones who'll see any traps he's placed so why don't we break into teams?" I suggested. The other three nodded in agreement. "Naruto and I will take the northern half, you and Sakura take the southern half." Sasuke said.

"What if we find him? How will we alert you two?" Sakura asked. I nodded to her, communicating that she had a good point. Sasuke pulled out two mic headsets. He put one on and handed the other to me.

"This way, we can communicate anything we see to each other and know when we found him." He said. I smiled and put it on. Sakura and I headed south to the door. It was old, rusty, and locked, but there was a broken window above it. Sakura and I nodded to each other before I went in first. The instant I landed I looked around. No traps. I smirked. This was his entrance. It was already broken so it was silent and not easily noticeable. I snapped twice and Sakura came in through the window. Me and her silently walked through the place, weaving through boxes and crates. Until I got the call from Sasuke.

"Akita! (zshhh) We found him! (zshh) He's headed your way." I turned to Sakura.

"Get ready. Here he comes." I whispered. We both jumped on top of some crates and waited. I could see him running in my direction. From above, the fast way through the crates was easy to see. Hajimi knew it well. I glanced at Sakura and we both knew what to do. As soon as he was reaching us, we jumped down in front of him. He slid to a stop and turned to run, when Sasuke and Naruto jumped down blocking his other exit. He looked at us, smirking. I tilted my head to one side, trying to analyze him. He was very hard to read, except for his overconfidence. He laughed and then jumped up. I quickly followed him as did Naruto. That proved to be a mistake. As soon as I landed I saw the booby trap. I jumped back and pushed Naruto back to the ground. The crate exploded. It set off several other explosions all around. The four of us quickly got out of the soon-to-be flaming warehouse. Hajimi jumped over us and started running. We followed him, Sasuke and Sakura taking the roof while Naruto and I stayed behind him. Sakura jumped in front of him, Sasuke taking his right, Naruto on his left, and me calmly walking up behind him.

"Hajimi, By order of the Hokage, you are under arrest." I said. He eyed all of us nervously, his confidence gone. My eyes met with Sasuke and he nodded. I nodded and then proceeded to silently converse with Naruto while Sasuke did the same with Sakura. I smiled and nodded. Instantaneously, all four of us jumped and attacked a different part of Hajimi. Sakura went for his legs, I went for his head. Sasuke went for his right side, Naruto went for his left. Hajimi tried to dodge Sakura, that being what he saw first, and brought his head harder into my kick. He then got hit by the others and fell. Then Kakashi poofed out of nowhere. "Hey sensei!" I exclaimed happily. He then Handcuffed Hajimi and pulled him up, standing. He groaned and then his eyes met up with mine. He gasped and then laughed.

"Well look at you. You've grown, Akita." Everyone looked at me with shock, except Kakashi who simply looked intrigued. I glared at him.

"Nice to see you too, Hajimi." I said sarcastically. He groaned again and glared at me.

"Little bitch." He muttered. I smiled and bowed. Kakashi chuckled.

"So Akita, how does Hajimi know you?" Sakura asked. We were stopped for the night and Hajimi was tied to a tree.

"He passed through my village once when I was younger. We got to know each other quite well." I said.

"How did that work out for you?" Kakashi asked while reading that damn book. I laughed.

"Well he called me a bitch. What does that tell you?" I said.

"That you haven't changed much." came Sasuke's response. Everyone but me laughed.

"Asshole." I muttered.


	17. Chapter 17

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Hajimi was thrown into prison almost immediately upon our return. The Hokage was the only person who didn't bite onto my explanation of how he knew me. He couldn't do anything, yet. But he was keeping a closer watch on me personally. But that's what I get when I try to fool the best ninja in the village. I jumped from roof to roof as I practiced avoiding ninja.

"Hey, Akita!" someone yelled. I looked down and smiled.

"Hi Ino!" I exclaimed and quickly jumped down to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked when I got down to her. I smiled.

"Practicing. Can you me a favor?" I said quickly. She smiled.

"Sure." I smiled.

"Thanks! I need you to say that I'm staying with you tonight. I want to see if they notice." I said. Ino gave me confused look but sighed.

"Sure. But you are soooo sleeping over tomorrow for real!" She said, faking being angry. I giggled and nodded. She hugged me and then left me to get back to business. I smiled and started jumping roofs again as I got to the wall. Quietly I waited and soon enough I had an opportunity where the guards where looking opposite ways and there was enough room to get between them unnoticed. Quickly I dashed away from the village. '_Practice comes first. Visit Orochimaru.._' I thought.

I dashed in and smiled.

"Good afternoon." Kidoumaru said. He and Jiroubou were talking in the entrance. I smiled at them.

"Hi!" I exclaimed and then ran past them. I heard on of them chuckle, but didn't care. Then it was Kabuto I found. He was walking with his back to me. "Kabuto!" I called out. He quickly turned around and saw me.

"Good afternoon, Akita-sama." He said dryly. I smiled.

"Where's Orochimaru-sama?" I said quickly.

"In his room, I believe." He said. I was running before he finished his sentence. Five hallways and two flights of stairs later, I was panting outside his door. Quickly I regained control of my breathing and knocked on his door.

"Enter." I quickly poked my head into the room and smiled. Orochimaru was lying on his bed, reading. He glanced past his book, saw me, and smiled. "Akita. Come in." He said. I smiled bigger and walked over to him. He smiled at me as I got closer. "How's my girl?" He asked as he set his book down and gave his full attention to me. I smiled again.

"I'm fine. May I ask a favor?" I said cheerfully. He nodded, so I continued. "Can we practice the taijutsu you started teaching me again?" I said quickly. Orochimaru chuckled as he stood up.

"Alright. Let's go." He said and we headed downstairs.

"What was Hajimi doing outside the village?" I asked on my way down.

"He abandoned the village a few weeks ago. We haven't been able to track him yet. He's using our skills against us." He said. I smiled and laughed.

"We arrested him the other day!" I said cheerfully.

"Did you now?" He said as he looked back at me. I nodded. He smiled. "That's my girl." He said simply and the two of us continued on our way. The two of us reached the training grounds and quickly went to our opposing sides. He slid into an offensive and I slid into a defensive stance. The door opened and the sound four and Kabuto came out to watch. Orochimaru tilted his head. I nodded in response. He smirked as he ran at me. I jumped over him and tried a back kick as soon as I landed, but he was ready. He twisted into my kick and grabbed my ankle at the last minute. He twisted it with enough force that he sent me spinning into the ground. I heard him laugh in a mocking way. "You're predictable." He said. I groaned and pushed myself into a flip above him as I tried again and again to land some kind of blow on him, only to be thrown away from him. For about the billionth time in about just over an hour I was on the ground. Only this time I was sitting cross-legged, my chin resting in my left hand, and my right hand resting on my left knee as I drummed my fingers. I could see everyone standing by the door was obviously amused by watching me get thrown around so much.

"Giving up Akita?" Kabuto asked, sarcastically. Snickers rang through the little crowd and suddenly they all had to duck. Above each of their heads was two kunai that would have killed them if they hadn't ducked. I only threw one set of five. I looked over to Orochimaru to see him glaring at the five of them. He sighed as he looked back at me.

"You can try again next time." He said as he started to walk away. He ducked almost instantly to avoid my sixth kunai.

"Who said I was done?" I demanded. Orochimaru gave me a questioning look. "Just because I'm sitting, doesn't mean I'm finished! I'm just thinking!" I exclaimed. He looked at me with an amused face as I continued sitting and thinking. I took a deep breathe and stood up. "Alright! Let's go! One more time..." I said as I slipped into a stance. Orochimaru smirked as he went into his stance. Then I changed mine as soon as he was ready. I switched from defense to offense and the we charged each other. I stayed off the ground as much as possible and he kept distance. We paused as I landed on the ground on more time. My plan wasn't working, so I decided to switched back to defense. He noticed and immediately came at me. Instead of dodging, I watched him. His footwork was constantly changing. It was twisty, yet grounded. Stable, yet unstable. That was why he was able to move so fast and not lose his balance! I dodged at the last minute and twisted. I grabbed a kunai and went in for a hit on his arm, while at the same time he went to hit me in the stomach. I felt his blow and flew away from him, tumbling when I finally hit the ground. I pushed myself up to look at his arm as I stayed on my stomach. I gasped. The sleeve was ripped. There was a small amount of blood showing through. He was talking but I wasn't paying attention. I smiled and started laughing. Orochimaru stopped talking and looked at me confused. "Next time, I **will** beat you!" I said happily. He looked down at his arm to see what had my attention. I could see his eyes widen in shock as he moved his sleeve to see how badly I had cut him. After inspecting it and finding it not that deep he smiled at me.

"Well done, Akita. You're making good progress. Kabuto, take care of her!" He said. Then he went inside. Kabuto walked over to me as I stood up, my smile now a smirk. Kabuto walked over to me and immediately began to heal my bruises and help me replenish my chakra.

I walked away after that, going away from both the village and Orochimaru. I was starting to feel sore, even after Kabuto's help, but that didn't stop me. Soon enough as I was running, something started running in the trees beside me. I gasped and slid to a stop and watched. Maya jumped in front of me and panted happily. I smiled and laughed as I ran and jumped on her in a hug. She licked me and then whined. I giggled and let go.

"Hi Maya! I was just coming to visit you." I exclaimed. She smiled and turned around. Then she stopped and looked at me. I smiled and jumped onto her back. As soon as I got a good grip she took off running. It was hard to hold on since I was still getting used to this. When she got to the lake, she suddenly slid to a stop and I was thrown off her. I landed with an 'ugf'. Maya whined and went over to me. She licked my face and I smiled. I sighed as I reached up to pet her. She nudged my hand and smiled. "Maya, I need your help. I need you to help me train." I said as I sat up. She laid down beside me and looked at me with interest. "My godfather, Orochimaru, has been teaching me a new form of taijutsu but I can't keep my footing. It's so hard for me. Can you help me?" I asked.

'_Orochimaru?_' she asked in my mind. I smiled and nodded.

"He's the Otokage and my legal guardian. He's great." I said. She got up and started walking away, growling quietly. "Maya?" I asked. She looked at me, still growling. She then ran and tackled me to the ground. "Maya!" I yelled, both surprised and a little scared. She continued to growl.

'_Don't trust your precious __**godfather**__ so much. He's hardly what he seems!_' she exclaimed.

"But... Maya, he wouldn't hurt me." I said slowly and quietly. She looked me in the eye. She stopped growling and sighed, shaking her head, as she got off me and walked away.

'_Naïve little girl._' She said quietly. I sat up and looked at her.

"What do you mean?" I said. She shook her head.

'_You'll see. When you're older, you'll see..._' She said. Then she smiled as she looked at me. '_Well... Let's train._' She said. I smiled and jumped up. She crouched down and smirked at me. I smiled and slipped into my stance once again. She growled, more playfully this time, before running at me. I waited until she was just in range before aiming a punch-kick combo at her. She dodged and tackled me to the ground, before jumping away and preparing for another attack. '_You need to be more flowing. Be one with the wind. You won't fall as easily._' She told me. I nodded and tried again.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

I sighed as Akita hadn't come home yet. I knew she was practicing, but with her abilities she might get the idea of leaving town without permission. After arguing with myself for a good forty-five minutes, I decided to go check things out. Sometimes she liked to sleep over at Ino's if she got tired. When I got there, it was Ino who answered the door. She smiled at me.

"Yes she's here. She's staying the night and she's already asleep. She'll be home tomorrow!" She said quickly. And with that she tried to close the door, but I kept it open. I started to laugh.

"Ino, do you honestly think any trained Jounin would buy that?" I said smiling. Ino smiled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said sweetly. My smile fell as I walked in.

"I want to see Akita. I don't care if she's asleep." I said sternly. Ino groaned.

"She's not here. I was supposed to try and cover for her if anyone decided to doubt the obvious. I'm sorry." She said quickly. I glared at her.

"Where did she go?" I demanded.

"Out of town." She mumbled.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed as I left the house. "And Ino, she's **not** sleeping over tomorrow!" I yelled as I walked out the door. I heard the child curse and then I was out of range. I got past the guards with no trouble and started looking for her chakra. It wasn't that hard to find... but what was that presence with her?

I jumped from tree to tree, trying to find Akita. I wasn't the best tracker. Hell, I wasn't even that good. I was capable of locating the area to a very small extreme. Pinpointing someone in that area, that was slightly beyond me. I sighed as I jumped to the ground. Then I heard a thump. Cautiously, I approached the noises. There was a clearing and a lake. And Akita! I sighed in relief, and then noticed what she was with. I gasped as I saw the giant five-tailed wolf. _'A demon? But the five-tail is supposed to be the dog, not a wolf. Misidentification perhaps?'_ I thought. It was growling at her, ready to attack. I was about to jump in, when I saw Akita smirk. The wolf ran and jumped. It tackled Akita to the ground, the first thump, but then Akita rolled and threw the wolf into a tree, the louder thump I heard before. I continued to watch as Akita and the supposed-demon spared.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

Maya quickly recovered from my toss and ran at me again. I spun on my heel last second and landed a hit on her shoulder blade. She skidded and jumped backwards to me. I slid to the ground and kicked her stomach. She whined when she landed and didn't get up right away.

"Maya?" I said gently as I got up and walked to her. She stopped whining when I got there and stood up. She shook her fur and smiled at me. Then she suddenly turned and growled at the tree line. I looked over there, now aware of a stranger's presence. "Who's there?!" I demanded. To my surprise, Anko walked out into the clearing. I gasped. "Anko?" I whispered. She smiled.

"You fight very well, Akita. Where did you learn that?" She said. I looked at her, my face showing how surprised I was.

"You mean, you're not angry at me? I thought you would be when you found out I was hanging out with a giant five-tailed wolf." I said. Anko smiled.

"I admit, my first thought was to jump in because I thought this wolf was a demon, but something seems different with her." She said. Maya growled slightly.

'_I am no demon!_' she said quickly. I smiled and hugged her around the neck.

"Oh, calm down." I said. Then I smiled at Anko. "Anko, this is Maya. Maya this is Anko." I said. Anko smiled and nodded at Maya. Maya nodded as well.

"Wow. She acts so human." She said. I nodded.

"Anko, can you keep this a secret? Please?" I said desperately. Anko smiled and nodded.

"As long as you don't get hurt from her." She said. I smiled and hugged Maya again, who seemed to chuckle.


	18. Chapter 18

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

I couldn't believe it. Anko was keeping Maya a secret for me. Maybe she was finally starting to believe that I knew what I was doing. Because I do. I'm the number one rookie! A lot of people were convinced that it would be Sasuke, but I beat him to it. With Kakashi's training, Orochimaru's training, and Maya's training, I'm so far ahead of everyone! Of course, they don't know that. I'm starting to hold myself back. If I don't, people would get suspicious. They can't get suspicious! I don't need Lord Hokage sending ninja to spy on me. They might discover Maya! Orochimaru wouldn't let anything like that happen with him. Out of all my teachers, I think Maya is the best. She knows my limits like instinct somehow. She never pushes me too far and she always teaches me what I want to know. It's like Maya was created just for me.

"Maya! Wait!" I called as I slid to a stopped. She had just pushed me away from her as we practiced taijutsu. Soon, I would be ready to beat Orochimaru. Maya relaxed her stance and looked up at me.

'_What's wrong Akita?_' Maya asked.

"I'm tired. I can't keep up anymore." I told her as I sat on the ground. Maya chuckled and walked over to me. She laid down beside me and licked my cheek. I smiled before I fell back against her. "We've been practicing for months, Maya. The next time I see Orochimaru-sama, I'm going to challenge him. I bet I can win now." I said happily. Maya nudged me with her nose and whined.

'_Akita, we only get a few days a month to practice. Sure it's been months, but in reality we've only actually had about 27 days._' She told me. I shrugged.

"But it's already been six months! And Orochimaru made me stronger too! I know I can beat him!" I exclaimed, excited. Maya sighed.

'_Your talents make you arrogant._' She said.

"I am not!" I exclaimed. She gave me 'the look'. The kind that Anko and Kakashi use when they say something and I end up proving them right when I try to say their wrong. I sighed. "Not you too! I already get that look from Kakashi-san and Anko-chan. I'm not arrogant!" I said. Maya rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling.

'_My silly little ikku._' Maya said playfully. I looked up at her confused.

"What's an ikku?" I asked. She nudged me with her nose playfully.

'_You are my ikku. I am your keishu. An ikku is a charge... a ward... something that needs to be protected. A keishu is that protector. The guard. Every living person is an ikku and therefore has a keishu. It is impossible to live without your keishu._' She told me. I sighed and smiled. She chuckled. '_We should get you home. Your sister must be worried._' I laughed.

"Anko always worries about me!" I exclaimed.

'_Exactly. Therefore, we should hurry to get you home._' She said playfully. I laughed as I hoisted myself up onto her back. She took off running. I was really getting accustomed to this. I never felt like I was about to fall off her when she ran like I did at the beginning. When I rode her, we moved together. When she turned, I leaned. When she jumped, I crouched. When she stopped, I embraced her. Watching us together, I imagine someone would believe we had been doing this our whole life. We moved as one. We had an instinct for each other. Knew what the other was thinking without having to communicate. We could read each other's body language. She indirectly taught me how to read her on instinct. We're the ultimate team.

When we arrived at our destination, about five-hundred feet away from the town gate where the guards couldn't see us, Maya slid to a stop. I naturally tensed up and clutched her fur tighter to stay steady. I didn't move an inch out of place. I slid off her and she licked me.

'_Be safe, my ikku._' She told me. I pet her and then headed home. Anko was waiting, along with Kakashi.

"Good afternoon, Akita-chan! Welcome home" Anko told me and smiled. Kakashi waved. He was sitting in a chair, facing away from me. Anko motioned for me to come over. I smiled and walked over to her. "So, **you** turn thirteen next week. What do you want to do for your big day?" Anko asked. I smiled.

"I don't know. It's just a birthday." I said. Anko laughed and shook her head as Kakashi smiled.

"Oh come on Akita! This day marks the day you become a teenager! Don't you want to do something special?" She asked, clearly excited about this. I shrugged.

"No. Not really." I said cheerfully. Anko sighed. Kakashi chuckled.

"I tried to tell you, Anko. She's not normal." He said. I rounded on him, hands on hips, leaning forward slightly, and slightly angry.

"What d'ya mean I'm not normal?!" I exclaimed.

"Well, you're not. Frankly, you're quite the little freak." He said. I gasped and then I glared at him. In a flash he was next to me, hugging me to death. "But you're **our** freak, imouto-chan!" He said happily. I squealed.

"Onee-chan! Help meee!!" I screamed. Anko just smiled and laughed.

* * *

We've become a family. I weird one, but a family.

* * *

In the end, it was decided that I would have a party in the park. All my friends would be invited. All my friends consisted of every genin that were in the same year at the academy that I was. So Anko and Kakashi also decided that it would be a good idea to have the team leaders chaperoning. After all, getting all the teams together would end in trouble somehow. It always does. So when the day came, Anko wasn't expecting my sudden change in plans...

"What?! What do you mean you're going out of town? Your party is this afternoon!" She exclaimed. I grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I promise I'll be back in time! There's just some things I've **GOT** to take care of first!" I said. Today, I was going to defeat Orochimaru! Anko groaned as she set down box on the picnic table. She turned to look at me as she crossed my arms.

"Why should I let you go? This is your party we're setting up." She said, aggravated.

"Because, if you recall, I never said I wanted a party. You and Kakashi-san decided to just give me one. So in reality, this is your party." I told her, smiling. She glared at me. I laughed and she rolled her eyes as she checked her watch.

"It's eleven-twenty-eight right now. You have until three to be back. Do I make myself clear, Akita?" Anko said. I smiled and nodded.

"Crystal." I said happily. Then I ran and out of the park, saying bye to Kakashi as I ran, and quickly out of town. I ran all the way to Orochimaru's place. I literally slid threw the doors, since I couldn't stop in time to actually open them. Tayuya, Kabuto, and Sakon were all in the living room and looked over as the doors flew open as I skidded in. I jumped up and smiled. "Hi! Where's Orochimaru-sama?" I said as fast as I could. Tayuya rolled her eyes and went back to the TV. Kabuto shook his head and looked back down at his book. Sakon smiled.

"I believe he's upstairs. Why?" He said calmly. I smiled.

"Today, I am going to beat him in taijutsu!" I said confidently. Both Tayuya and Kabuto's heads shot up and they looked at me. I just smiled. Sakon smiled.

"Best of luck." He said. I smiled, showing my thanks. Tayuya started laughing before getting up and walking towards the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" Sakon demanded.

"I'm going to go set up a lawn chair and get comfy. I am not missing this. It will be amusing to see her get thrown around, and it would be even more amusing to see Lord Orochimaru lose to the little girl who gets thrown around." She said happily before she continued to head outside. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I had learned to ignore her for the most part. Then I ran upstairs and tried to find Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-sama!" I called for the eighth time as I walked around trying to find him. FINALLY, he walked out of a door and smiled at me.

"Happy birthday, Akita." He said. I smiled.

"Thanks Orochi-sama!" I said happily. Then I giggled. "You know what I want for my birthday?" I asked carefully. Orochimaru looked at me expectantly. I grinned. "I want to fight you! One more time! I **swear** I will win this time!" I exclaimed. Orochimaru smirked.

"Is that so? We haven't sparred in six months. Are you sure you want to challenge me today?" He said. He was trying to get me to back down. I knew his tricks. I wasn't taking the bait this time! I smirked.

"Hell yeah! I said I'll win and I will! Let's go!" I said, excited. Orochimaru laughed quietly.

"What's changed?" He asked as we started walking towards the courtyard. I smirked.

"Nothing." I said. Orochimaru glanced at me. Then I giggled. "And everything." I said. Orochimaru smiled. "You'll see." I said as we walked into the courtyard. We both stopped to stare at Tayuya. She was laying a lounge chair, wearing sunglasses, and eating pocky. Everyone else was leaning against the wall behind her. They were all trying not to laugh. Orochimaru groaned.

"Tayuya." He growled. She smiled.

"She's going to get tossed around and she's convinced she can beat you. This is going to beat hilarious." Tayuya said simply. Orochimaru shook his head as the two of us headed to our places. Then I turned back to the onlookers.

"Someone set a timer for twenty minutes!" I exclaimed. Tayuya burst out laughing even more. Sakon and Kabuto gave me a disbelieving look. "I'm on a freaking time limit. I have to be back in Konoha before 3 because Anko-chan and Kakashi-san decided to throw me a party and I do have other things do before then!" I said, not bothering to say that I was, indeed, going to beat him before that timer ran out. Orochimaru laughed slightly before nodded to Sakon. Sakon sighed but did set a timer for twenty minutes. I smirked as I slipped into the stance I had become accustomed to when practicing with Maya. Orochimaru looked me and smirked, slipping into his familiar stance. I smirked. "Your move." I said just loud enough. Orochimaru grinned.

"Then you've already lost." He said menacingly. Then he ran at me. It looked like he was preparing a punch, but Maya had long ago taught me to wait until the last minute to decide what the opponent would do. Then they couldn't change it. And change he did. At his last possible chance, he punched the ground and turned his energy into a sweeping kick. I quickly jumped over his leg, landed on my hands, and directed a kick back at him. He was barely able to dodge as he jumped away from me. When he landed, he smirked at me. "You've been practicing." He said.

"At least once a week." I said, slipping back into my stance. Orochimaru and I smirked. Then he charged me again. I slid one foot slightly behind the other and put more weight on it. As he got close enough I flipped forward and threw another kick at him. Once again, he barely dodged. It became a dance and a contest. Who could hit the other harder, and who could stay standing longer. Time was running out. If I was keeping time correctly, then I had less than two minutes to bring him down. He ran at me.

**One minute twenty-seven seconds.**

He slid into a kick. I kicked into a jumped over him.

**One minute eight seconds.**

I landed and spun around and went to kick his back.

**Fifty-six seconds.**

Finally, I hit him! Even better was the fact that I was the first to land a hit this time.

**Forty-eight seconds.**

I heard Orochimaru lose his breath as he spun around from the force of my kick as he was sent away from me.

**Forty-five seconds.**

Orochimaru fell and landed on his back. I did it. I brought him down to the ground. I heard the gasps from Kabuto and the sound four as they saw Orochimaru slid on the ground. He groaned as he sat up.

**The timer went off.**

I smiled and started to laugh as Orochimaru stood back up.

"I told you I would beat you the next time we sparred!" I exclaimed. Orochimaru looked at me, then smiled.

"Well done, Akita. You did exceptionally well." He said. I smiled and looked over at the others. Tayuya's mouth was wide open, her pocky forgotten. Kabuto looked nervous. Kidoumaru and Jiroubou were excited. Sakon was just smiling. I smiled at him and nodded. Then I sat on the ground, giving my body time to relax from our match. Now that I had stopped moving, I could finally feel my heart pounding and the sweat. But I didn't have time for this. It was after twelve. I still had to go and see Maya, and then I had a party to attend.

* * *

An hour later, I leaned against Maya as I dried off. I was ready to sleep. She said she was proud of me, and her very essence was radiating that pride she felt. She chuckled as she nudged me with her nose.

'_Akita. You have to stay awake. You have a party to attend._' She said. I could hear the laughter that she was trying to hold back.

"Can I ride on you? You could just carry me back and I could nap on your back. Then I can rest, and both you and Anko are happy because I'm going to the party." I mumbled. I think I might have slurred some of my words together, but I couldn't be sure. I was so tired. Maya chuckled as she helped me onto her back. I got comfy and fell asleep as she started walking back.

* * *

Anko's POV

* * *

I checked my watch again. It was a quarter to three and Akita wasn't back yet. I groaned in frustration as I started pacing. Kakashi and Asuma walked over to me. Asuma was laughing.

"Did the guest of honor go missing?" Asuma asked. I groaned.

"No, she's just pushing it very close." I muttered. Kakashi smiled.

"Anko, if you're that worried about her, go find her. We can cover for some time." Kakashi said. I smiled and looked down. Then I glanced back up at them. "Yes, I'm sure. Besides, we don't need our imouto to get into the habit of being late for everything." Kakashi said simply. I glared at him playfully.

"As if you're one to talk!" I exclaimed. Kakashi chuckled and Asuma full out laughed. I shook my head as I headed to the gates to watch for Akita. I sat against the wall, some space away from the gates. I was glad I did. Maya walked into my sight. I sighed. "Hello Maya. Where's Akita?" I asked. Maya looked behind her. I followed her gaze and smiled as I saw Akita asleep on Maya's back. I stood up and walked over to her, picked up Akita, thanked her. She yawned and shook her fur before heading back. Then I woke Akita up.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I woke up to find Anko looking at me. I smiled.

"Sorry. Am I late?" I whispered. Anko laughed and helped me up. Together we walked back into town and to the party. There was cake. Nothing ever tasted sweeter than that cake after beating Orochimaru.

* * *

**Definitions:**

Ikku – A ward  
Keishu – Guard  
Imouto – Younger sister  
Onee – Older sister

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey! Reviews are nice. (hint hint). I enjoy hearing from people about what they think. Flames are welcome, but you are going to flame, don't be vicious. If you don't like it, just say so. Don't _attack_ the story.


	19. Chapter 19

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Akita, time to wake up!" Someone said loudly. I groaned and rolled over so I was laying face-down into the pillow. I felt the bed dip and then someone started shaking me. "Imouto-chan, wake up." They said again. I groaned louder and whined. They sighed. "Akita, get up. We are supposed to go meet the rest of the team for training." They said. I rolled onto my side and barely opened my right eye. After my eyes quite making everything blurry, I could see Kakashi smiling down at me. "You can't keep sleeping. I think we might be just a little late." He said cheerfully. I laughed.

"Morning Onii-san." I mumbled. He chuckled.

"Actually, it's the early afternoon." He said. I yawned again and sat up.

"Can't we skip the training? I'm tired from yesterday." I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes. He shook his head.

"No excuses. A ninja never knows when they will be needed so we need to always be in top shape." Kakashi said. I groaned and then stretched. Kakashi smiled and left to let me get ready, while I slid down to the floor. After about ten minutes of fighting with my shirt, only to discover that I was actually fighting with my pants, I managed to successfully get dressed! I grabbed my weapons, strapped them on, and headed out the door. Kakashi was waiting for me and we quickly dashed off to meet the team.

"Hey Akita! Did you sleep in too?" Naruto exclaimed. I smiled and nodded. He laughed. "Yeah, we all did. I got here almost an hour late, then Sakura showed up, and Sasuke was three hours late! And now you two are showing up when training is supposed to be almost over." He said. I laughed again and Kakashi sighed.

"Well then, we have a long afternoon ahead of us. Sakura and Akita, face off. Sasuke and Naruto, face off. Taijutsu only today. I don't think any of us are up to genjutsu or ninjutsu today." Kakashi said. I laughed and went with Sakura to one end of the field. We faced each other at opposite ends of the field. Sakura smirked and slipped into a clearly offensive stance. I smirked and shook my head to myself.

"Sakura, just a warning. Don't take the offensive against me." I told her. She ignored me, of course. I sighed and slipped into my stance. "Just to give you a fair shot, you first." I said mockingly. She ignored the mock, but did run at me. I dodged to the left, twirled on my left foot, and kicked her in the back with my right. I heard her breath get knocked out of her as she tumbled onto the dirt. "What do ya know... I guess it didn't help you to go first. You're loss." I said cheerfully.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

I went and sat down against a tree as I pulled out my book. I figured everyone would be too tired to actually hurt each other. About three pages in, I heard Akita start to mock Sakura. 'W_hat the hell? She was exhausted just a few minutes ago..._' I thought to myself as I looked up. I watched as she dodged Sakura's punch at the last minute and **twirled **into a kick.

"What do ya know... I guess it didn't help you to go first. You're loss." Akita said cheerfully. I focused on her moves more. As she moved, she moved like water. Flowing. It was definitely not what I had taught her or what she had learned at the academy. It couldn't be from her mother because this was new. She learned this fairly recently and her mother has been dead for years. As I watched Akita throw Sakura around the training grounds, I slowly lifted up my hitai-ate and watched her with the sharingan. I saw how she was barely staying on the ground. She was twisting and bending like a mixture of water and wind. The only person I knew in this whole village who could move even remotely like that was Anko. But Anko didn't have it nearly as perfected as Akita did right now. The only person I could think of who could teach Akita how to use that style and get it that perfect would have had to be the person who taught Anko. I groaned.

"Damn it all to hell. Why can't we ever get some _**solid **_proof to prove the connection to Orochimaru?!" I mumbled to myself. Akita dodged expertly every blow Sakura threw at her. Finally, she twirled into the punch, pulled out a kunai, and cut Sakura's cheek as she sent her flying back onto the ground. In the last fifteen minutes, Sakura has fallen about nine times while Akita has barely been on the ground, let alone fall. I replaced my hitai-ate and returned to my book. I would report this later. After a little talk with Akita. She may be one hell of an actress and a liar, but she can't hide from the sharingan.

* * *

Akita's POV

1¼ hours later

* * *

I panted as I helped Sakura up. She groaned.

"Damn it Akita, you need to just stop trying. Okay?" She grumbled. I laughed as I helped her over to the edge of the field. Kakashi was waiting for us, since he just finished up with the boys.

"Kakashi-nii-san! Sakura needs some help." I said as I helped her to sit on the ground. Kakashi walked over and started tending to her injuries. I yawned and started walking off. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you at home later, Kakashi-nii-san. So I'll be going now." I said.

"Stay!" Kakashi exclaimed suddenly. I stopped and looked back at him confused. I knew that tone. He took that tone when he was angry, in combat, or suspicious. He glared at me for a second before going back to Sakura's wounds. I turned around completely and waiting anxiously for him to finish. After he did he smiled at those three. "Good job. Get a good night's rest and take the day off tomorrow." He said cheerfully. All three glared at him.

"Oh sure. Give us the day that we **don't** need off, off!" Sakura grumbled. I chuckled and then they went home. Sakura and Naruto smiled at me. Sasuke just gave me a glance before heading off on his own. I smiled as I looked at Kakashi once they were gone. He glared at me.

"What? Should I have gone easier on her?" I asked innocently.

"Where did you learn that?" He demanded. I blinked.

"Learn... what?" I asked slowly. His eye narrowed.

"Your taijutsu." He stated. I smiled.

"Kakashi-nii-san, what on earth are you talking about? I learned from my mom and at the academy." I said cheerfully. His glare intensified.

"That was not Konoha's taijutsu style you used. You were like water and wind. I only know two other people who can fight like that. One of them is an enemy of this village and the other wouldn't teach you that in one-hundred years even if you paid her. So where did **you** pick it up?" He demanded. I felt myself tense up as I realized what I had done. I had combined Konoha's taijutsu with Orochimaru's! '_Oh no... he's going to be so mad at me!_' I thought to myself. I looked down.

"Kakashi-nii-san, please believe me. I'm not doing anything bad. I just pick things up easily. That's all. I promise." I said, not looking up. I wasn't sure if he would be able to tell my lie even if he didn't have his sharingan out. I felt his gaze on me and refused to look up. Finally he sighed.

"Let's get going. I'm sure Anko's wondering how beat up you are. Won't she be surprised to find out that you were the one who was doing the beating." He said plainly. It wasn't until he walked past me that I looked up and back at him. That was a mistake. He was still watching me! I quickly looked the other way before I could stop myself. That was my second mistake. Now he would be certain I was lying. I groaned. I heard Kakashi's footsteps stop and felt his gaze again. I sighed before turning and walking with him. He said nothing the whole way back. That was unusual. He didn't even have his book out! That was downright weird. When we got back, Anko noticed his attitude also. Anko looked at him then at me.

"Akita, why don't you go wait in your room." She said.

"But-"  
"No. Go wait in your room." She said. I sighed and walked into my room. Quickly I shut the door and pressed my ear against it. Try as I might, I couldn't hear anything. I sighed and turned to go to my bed.

"Akita-sama." I looked up and jumped as I saw Sakon sitting on my windowsill.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered. He looked at me.

"You have been ordered by Lord Orochimaru to come with me now." He said quietly.

"Why?" I groaned. He shook his head. I sighed as I walked over to him. "Of course. I seem to be doing everything wrong today, why should Orochimaru-sama be any different?" I mumbled. He jumped out the window and I quickly followed, hoping Anko and Kakashi wouldn't notice.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

"Now, what's going on?" Anko asked once Akita was in her room. I sighed.

"It's her taijutsu. Something's different about it." I said as I sat on the couch. Anko rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is. Akita picks things up everywhere!" She said as she headed to the kitchen.

"Well then, she must have seen you fight recently." I said quickly. Anko stopped in the door way and looked back at me.

"What are you talking about? You know I'm careful not to show her anything of mine." She said.

"Then explain why she fights in the same style as you, but has perfected it to an almost flawless point." I told her. Anko turned around and looked at me in shock. She slowly shook her head.

"That's not possible." She whispered.

"It is. I saw it. I watched her with the sharingan. It's impossible to fool the sharingan and you know it. When I confronted her-"

"You did **what?!** Why would you do that!? You know how skittish she gets. We don't need her losing faith in us. She's more than capable of leaving without us knowing. She could get miles away from the town before anyone even notices she's not in her bed! It's even possible for her to reach some of the borders before we reach her! We can't chase her over borders without other the Kage's permission! By the time we get that, she would be long gone and we may never see her again!" Anko said quickly. I didn't get a chance to get a word in until the end.

"Anko, she refused to meet my eyes when I spoke to her." I said sternly. She glared at me.

"_Eyes?! _As in, both of them?!" She demanded.

"Oh. No. Sorry. She wouldn't look me in the eye. How 'bout that one? I promise, I put the sharingan away before she finished training." I said quickly. Anko sighed, relieved.

"The only other person she could have picked it up from is Orochimaru. Maybe someone close to him, but that isn't likely. The fact that this was recent is alarming, but isn't solid. We both know some of her memories have been locked away. You remember when she woke up screaming. She won't remember that for a long time. I'm willing to bet on it. Even though she doesn't remember it, it's proof that she knows Orochimaru. However, if that was the first evil thing he'd done in front of her and she doesn't remember it, she may not know that what she's doing can and will be considered bad through some people's eyes." Anko said. She sighed and went to get some tea. I thought about what Anko had said. She had an excellent point. Akita wouldn't know that he was bad if she didn't remember it. However, she may remember SOME of it. That may be the deciding factor about whether of not she truly is guilty. Anko came back with a bottle of sake and sat next to me on the couch. "Are you going to drink any of this?" she asked, waving around the bottle. I shook my head. She sighed. "Good." She said, then quickly drank some straight from the bottle. After she had downed the whole bottle she set it down and looked at me. "So. What **exactly** are we going to do about the problem at hand?" She asked. I sighed.

"Our only choice is to tell the Hokage." I whispered reluctantly.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

Sakon and I headed swiftly into the denser forest-part of the park. Sakon was silent the whole way there. We landed in a clearing deep into the park. There was Orochimaru leaning against a tree waiting for us. When he saw us, he glared at me. I gulped and instinctively took a small step back. It wasn't big enough to indicate fear, just to make my body more stable. He growled and started walking towards me. I took another step back and looked him in the eyes.

"What were you thinking?! **Were **you even thinking!?" he demanded as he quickly approached me.

"What?! What are you talking about?" I said quickly. His glare intensified.

"The taijutsu you used today. There are only three people who can fight like that; you, me, and Anko. Who do you think they will assume taught you to fight like that when they learn that Anko did not?!" He yelled. I gasped.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident! I'll fix it! Really, I can!" I shrieked. Orochimaru glared down at me.

"How do you suppose you can fix it?" he said slowly. I quickly thought about the events these last few days. Yesterday was my birthday. Too many witnesses for me to lie. Wednesday I was with Maya. Can't use that. Tuesday... Anko got drunk. She doesn't remember what she did that night, her hangover was so bad.

"Anko was drunk on Tuesday. I can say that she taught me. She wasn't thinking straight." I said slowly. Orochimaru looked somewhat calmer. Now he was just annoyed.

"You already told Kakashi a hint to the truth. Explain what you said to him." He demanded. I quickly thought about it and then smiled.

"I didn't tell him the truth because I didn't want him and Anko to fight over it. After all, it _is_ dangerous to be learning from a drunk woman. Drunks are unpredictable!" I said quickly. Orochimaru thought about it for a moment and then smirked.

"It will do. For now. We'll have to work on your quick thinking skills. And soon." He said quietly. He turned and started walking back to the tree. I sighed quietly. "Sakon! Leave." He ordered. Sakon bowed and left, leaving me alone with Orochimaru. Orochimaru sat down on the ground and leaned back against the tree. "Akita, come here." He said calmly. Slowly, I walked over to him and stood besides him. He smiled up at me. "I'm proud of your performance yesterday. You did very well against me." He said. I smiled.

"Arigato Orochimaru-sama." I said weakly. He's never this nice to me. He smiled again.

"Tomorrow night you are to come to the mansion. Understood?" He said simply. If I didn't know that tone so well, I'd say he was being nice.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." I mumbled.  
"Good." He said as he stood up. "Be there by dusk." He said, then left after I nodded. After a moment my head shot up.

"Wait a minute, how the HELL am I supposed to get back home now without being noticed?!" I exclaimed.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

I sighed as I helped support Anko to the kitchen table. She was completely drunk again. Already she had downed three bottles and she was demanding another one! As I set her down into a chair, I heard a window being shut in Akita's room. After a minute she walked out into the living room.

"In here, Akita!" I called. She walked into the kitchen and sighed when she saw Anko.

"Is she drunk again?" I asked. I looked up at Akita.

"Again? You've seen her this bad?" I demanded. Akita nodded.

"Promise you won't get mad?" She said slowly. I nodded. She sighed. "Anko got really, **really** drunk on Tuesday. She doesn't remember it, but... I learned that taijutsu from her. I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't want you two to get into a fight. I figured you would think she was being irresponsible." She said quietly. I thought about it for a second. It wouldn't be unlike Anko to not remember what she did while drunk. But this new story was so different from what she had almost told me earlier. She was lying, most likely about this one, but if Anko really couldn't remember then nothing could be proved. As long as Anko actually did get drunk that night, she may have very well taught Akita that style. Actually, I wouldn't put it past her. I nodded to Akita who smiled in return and then went to the fridge. After a minute she pulled out orange juice and poured a glass. "You want some?" She asked. I shrugged.

"It's better than the sake Anko offered me." I said. Akita smiled and poured two glasses. As she turned she caught sigh of Anko, who was almost passed out on the table, and sighed. After she handed me my glass, she set hers back down and grabbed another glass. She grabbed a bottle of sake as well. Then she poured the orange juice into the glass. When it was about three fourths full, Akita stopped pouring orange juice and instead poured sake into the glass until it was full. Then she turned and gave the glass to Anko. Anko took it and down it after a minute. "What was that?" I mumbled. Akita smiled.

"A trick I learned for when she gets drunk. If you pour the sake last and don't stir it, she thinks the whole glass is alcohol. She'll pass out pretty soon, but she won't be as grumpy in the morning." Akita said cheerfully. I smiled, suddenly unexplainably proud of Akita.


	20. Chapter 20

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Kakashi's POV

* * *

That night, I slept on Anko's couch. I was planning on having a very serious talk with her about drinking habits when she woke up. We also needed to go to talk to the Hokage. Even if what Akita said was true about Anko teaching her, no one could prove it or disprove it. Besides, it was still more likely that she learned from someone else. This has been going on for years, but no solid evidence has ever been found. Konoha saw the same scenario when Orochimaru was still a Konoha shinobi. He experimented on people for months, maybe years, but no one could link him to the crimes until he was long gone. I sighed. Anko had spent the last forty minutes in the upstairs bathroom, puking. That's what she gets for drinking too much. I sat up as I heard foot steps coming slowly down the stairs.

"You asshole. You spent the night here, but you don't have the decency to help me when I'm hung over? I should kick you out and make you forfeit your key," Anko said grumpily as she slowly made her way to the kitchen. I just smiled at her.

"Anko-chan, we both know that I never use that key anyway. You also know that you taking the key wouldn't stop me in the slightest. You could hire a team of ANBU to keep guard against me and I would still get in here," I said cheerfully as I got up and walked into the kitchen. Anko glared at me and mumbled something incoherent as she opened the fridge. She groaned at the sight of the food. Slamming the fridge door shut, she spun around and collapsed into a chair. I sighed and walked up behind her. She sighed as I started massaging her shoulders. "How about you go lay on the couch while I make you something to settle your stomach, eh? How does that sound?" I whispered to her. She leaned her head back and smiled at me.

"Thank you, Kakashi-kun," She said quietly. I quickly kissed her cheek and then helped her up and over to the couch.

"So, your majesty, what shall I make for you?" I asked grinning. Anko chuckled.

"Dango," She said after a moment. I slouched.

"Anko...-" I started.

"I want some fucking dango!" She said quietly. I started rubbing my and then my temple.

"Anko, dango will only make you puke again. Sweets are not what you want after a hangover! You should know this by now! You've gotten drunk enough!" I exclaimed, now annoyed. Anko crossed her arms and glared at me. "Try anything you want, you aren't getting dango," I said sternly. She groaned and let her head fall back. I went into the kitchen and started making some scrambled eggs, trying not to burn them.

"Where is Akita?" Anko called quietly.

"She went out with Ino. Most of the teams have the day off today," I told her. Quickly, I put some bread in the toaster. Anko sighed.

"When did she get home?" She asked, almost reluctantly.

"Before you passed out," I told her cheerfully. She groaned. "Akita is actually very good when you're drunk. She knows how to trick you when you're drunk so you actually drink less," I said as I put the eggs on a plate as the toast popped. Quickly I buttered her two pieces and put them on her plate, while taking a bite of my piece. I walked into the living room and set her plate on the coffee table. Anko groaned as she sat up and started slowly eating the eggs. "So, did you get drunk on Tuesday?" I asked. Anko thought for a minute then shrugged.

"Well, I can't remember Tuesday, so I guess so," she grumbled. I sighed.

"Goddamn it," I growled. Anko looked at me, confused. "Akita changed her story. And since you actually **did** get drunk on Tuesday, no one can disprove it. She said you got drunk enough to teach her. I doubt it because that wouldn't explain how she got better than you in less than one day," I explained. Anko shrugged.

"Maybe I'm like Lee. He's a much better fighter when he's drunk. Remember what he did to that bar?" she asked sarcastically. I chuckled.

"I want to kill Gai. He should have known better than to let a minor drink," I said. Anko groaned and slowly pushed herself up after she finished. I helped her steady herself as she sighed.

"Well, c'mon. Let's get this over with," she grumbled. So, the two of us headed for the Hokage tower.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

"Ino! Look at this one!" I called from down the road. Ino ran over to me and looked into the glass display.

"Oh wow! That's so pretty! Do you have enough?" She asked. I smiled and nodded. It was a—

(**A/N: **itsy bitsy, teeny weenie, yellow polka dot bikini! Lol. Sorry. My friend is reading over my shoulder and burst out singing that while I was thinking.)

—black kunai with swirls of a metallic silver substance in the metal. It also had a long golden string braided off the loop. We walked into the store and while Ino started looking at more weapons, I asked to see the kunai. The lady smiled and took it out of the case for me. I started testing it as soon as it was placed in my hand. It was perfectly balanced. The string was as light as a feather and didn't affect it at all. The different metals didn't change any of the essentials. Carefully, I ran my thumb along the edge, starting near the handle. Typical kunais, no matter how new they are, tend to get dull near the handle just from being exposed to the air. As I ran my thumb along, I moved less then an inch before I had to jerk away and start sucking on the cut. I looked at the kunai and smirked.

"Do you have a practice range?" I asked quickly. The lady nodded and led me towards the back where there were five posts with targets on them set up. There were two other ninja there checking out various weapons for their own collections. I walked over to the nearest one and tossed the kunai into the air and catching it a few times, getting a feel for the weight. After a moment, I quickly threw it at the target. Bullseye. It was retrieved for me, and I threw it differently. Bullseye again. After it was retrieved again, I threw it one more time in a different way. Almost bullseye. It was close enough that it would take an enemy nin down, if it didn't kill him. I smiled and nodded. "I'll take it," I said cheerfully as it was brought back to me. The lady smiled and brought me over to the cash register to ring it up. After the money Kakashi gave me, I had enough for it even after buying all the clothes and jewelry. I turned around and found Ino eyeing the swords with drool starting to make its way down her chin. I sighed and pulled her away. "No. You already wasted all your money on clothing you will never wear," I said as I dragged her out. She wiped her chin and started to walk with me instead of being dragged.

"So when are you going to practice with it?" Ino asked as I admired the craftsmanship.

"Soon. I'll probably ask Kakashi to help me learn the differences and how to work with it when we get back. This kunai will never leave my side," I said happily. Ino smiled. We had lunch at her house and then I went home. Hopefully, Kakashi would still be there. I walked in the house and noticed that neither Kakashi or Anko was there. I sighed. Where would _Anko_ be going with a hangover like that? I walked into my room and threw all my new clothes on my bed and took out my new kunai. I walked into the living room as I continued to examine it. Something was special about the gold braid. It wasn't just decoration. Such trivial matters were very bad for a ninja. It had to be something bigger, but I wasn't sure what. After about twenty minutes, Kakashi walked through the door, supporting a very grumpy Anko.

"I don't care! I want some Motherfucking dango!" Anko grumbled. Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed.

"For the last time, NO!" He exclaimed. I burst out laughing and they both looked up. Kakashi smiled. "Hey Akita-chan. How was your day?" He asked as he pushed Anko into a chair without looking. She yelled as she fell and then glared daggers at Kakashi. I laughed again and smiled.

"My day was good. I bought a new kunai and I need your help. I think there's more to it than it looks," I said cheerfully. I walked over and held out his hand, which I placed my new kunai in. He examined it carefully and then handed it back to me.

"That is very rare craftsmanship. The silver is a special metal that, when infused with your chakra, will alert you by glowing with your chakra when someone intent on harming you is near. You can also use it as a chakra reserve if you get too low. The golden thread will also absorb your chakra and you can use it to track it down after battles. Where did you find it?" He asked. I smiled.

"One of the weapon shops had it on display and clearly didn't know how valuable it was. It was on sale and I still had enough after getting mountains of clothes," I said happily. Kakashi smiled and nodded.

"A steal, certainly. If you like, I can teach you how to use it properly," he offered. I jumped up, grinning. He sighed and we turned to leave.

"Kakashi!" Anko growled. I smiled and pushed him out the door while waving to Anko.

"Bye!" I exclaimed as I slammed the door shut. Kakashi laughed as we headed to the training grounds. "So why is she so intent on having dango? Doesn't she realize it's bad for her? She'll puke!" I exclaimed.

"That's what I tried to tell her, but you know Anko-chan. She never listens," Kakashi said cheerfully. I laughed and nodded. Soon we reached the training grounds and Kakashi told me to pull out the kunai. I pulled it out and he examined it one more time. He nodded as he handed it back to me. "Alright. Remember the tree-walking exercise?" he asked. I nodded, and he continued. "Well this is the same idea. The only difference was with the tree you were trying to balance with an outside force. You need to turn this kunai into a part of you. That is done by infusing it with your chakra. In order to do that, you need to remember the clash of balancing your chakra against the tree. However, this time don't balance it. Let it flow unrestricted into the kunai," Kakashi said.

"Wait, when we overflowed the chakra with the tree, the tree collapsed. Wouldn't that apply to anything?" I asked. Kakashi smiled.

"It tends to when the flow is restricted," He said.

"What's the difference?" I asked.

"A restricted flow is supposed to create something like a barrier. It makes our jobs easier. The barrier is what we are able to walk on when we walk on trees or water. When we release that barrier, our chakra can no longer do damage onto the objects," Kakashi explained.

"Okay, well you taught us to use our chakra control in a way that subconsciously creates that barrier. How do I release it?" I asked. Kakashi smiled.

"You have no idea how proud you make me!" He said cheerfully. I smiled. "Most shinobi your age would simply try without even thinking about the details. You think about it and therefore you excel where they would fail," He said as he sat down in front of me. "The first thing to do since you're learning would be to start with that barrier over the kunai. Then slowly release it. At that point, your chakra will flow freely into the kunai and it will become part of you. Are you understanding?" Kakashi said slowly. I nodded slowly and picked up the kunai. Slowly I started focusing my chakra into my hands, with that barrier on the kunai. I noticed the differences after about ten minutes. First, this kunai was designed with young shinobi in mind. If I did something wrong with my chakra, the kunai fought back. It was like it had a mind of its own. Another difference was it was much harder to create the barrier when I was planning on releasing it later. Finally, after forty minutes, I finally got it. Kakashi nodded. "Good. Now, to release it you need to start small. If you just let your chakra run wild, you'll damage it," He explained.

"I'm not so sure about that. The kunai almost has a mind of its own. Every time I made a mistake I felt something push back. Is that normal?" I asked carefully. Kakashi looked at the kunai and nodded after a moment.

"With this kunai, yes. Whoever forged this particular metal used in this kunai designed it in mind to prevent an amateur from destroying it. After it's infused with your chakra, that will go away because then you won't be able to hurt it. Now, release your chakra," Kakashi said. I took a deep breathe and slowly worked on letting go. It was even harder than getting it together. I was trying to create a slow, steady flow, but every time I tried my chakra wanted to rush. Kakashi reassured me that once I was more experienced with this it wouldn't matter how much I infused, but for now he wanted me to feel it. Two hours later, the kunai glowed blue and the gold thread sparkled. I fell back, panting. Kakashi smiled. "Well done. Now I can teach you how to retrieve it," He said happily. I shook my head.

"It will stay infused with my chakra, right?" I asked. He nodded. "Then we wait until tomorrow. I'm exhausted," I whined. Kakashi chuckled and stood up.

"Well then, you should get home and take a nap. We will be finishing this lesson while I have Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto sparring tomorrow. Are you going to make it back on your own?" He asked. I nodded while still lying in the grass. He sighed. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then," He said before he left. I sighed before grabbing my kunai and putting it away. I closed my eyes and yawned. I never intended to go home tonight. I was too tired by I refused to admit that to Kakashi. I yawned and rolled onto my side. I don't know how long I laid there, but It was nice to sleep outside. It was cooler than in the house. It felt nice. It wasn't until I opened my eyes that I realized I had been moved and was currently being held by someone. I looked up groggily and saw Orochimaru smiling down at me.

"It's not safe to sleep in the open like that. You should have gone home with Kakashi's help," He scolded me. I smirked.

"I didn't want to go inside. It's so nice out," I mumbled. I yawned and looked down. That was when I realized we were in a tree. I yawned again. "I **was** out in the open. Do you _ever_ worry about getting caught here?" I asked. Orochimaru chuckled.

"Not really. Security around this village is severely lacking. Now, it's time for you to go home. You are going to be training with me tomorrow after you finish with your team," Orochimaru explained. I groaned.

"Just leave me hear. Anko and Kakashi will come find me eventually. I'm too tired to go anywhere," I protested. Orochimaru shook his head.

"I refuse to leave my youjo to sleep in a tree," He said sternly. I opened my eyes and after a minute looked up at him.

"You... haven't called me your youjo since... my mo-"

"I know. Do **not** bring her into this. I do not want to hear about her. She still infuriates me," He said with a slight growl to his voice. I bowed my head again.

"Of course Orochimaru-daifu," I mumbled. After a few seconds, I felt Orochimaru's arms tighten slightly around me. I smiled a little. That was another one of his ways to show affection. It was much rarer to receive from him and he would only risk it if we were absolutely alone.

"I shall stay with you until someone comes looking for you," He said eventually. I nodded out of respect, even though he wasn't looking for an answer. I could tell from his tone that he was more deciding what to do than telling me. So, for who knows how long I simply enjoyed being in the presence of my daifu. Eventually I barely registered that I was being picked up and moved. I groaned quietly and then I felt them move. After a minute, I was set down in the grass again. "Remember Akita, come after Kakashi's training tomorrow," Orochimaru said. I nodded and heard him leave. Another minute later, someone landed next to me and sighed.

"Akita? Akita, wake up," They said. I groaned and curled into a smaller ball. They chuckled and started shaking me gently. "Akita, you told me you would go home and that you didn't need my help," They said. I opened my eyes a crack and saw Kakashi. I shrugged slightly.

"I lied," I muttered. Kakashi chuckled.

"Do you need my help getting home?" He asked. I groaned again and tried to curl into a smaller ball. "No, you can't sleep out here," He said as he started pulling me to my feet. I opened my eyes and growled. Kakashi put a hand on my shoulder and started walking back to Anko's. Anko smiled at me when we got home and I just walked into my room and climbed into bed.

* * *

The Next Morning

* * *

I jumped through the trees, dodging Kakashi. He was treating me like an enemy ninja so my kunai would react to him. It was working. Whenever he got within striking range, my kunai glowed and I was able to throw it at him. He always had to dodge because I would throw a few normal kunai or shuriken after the first one as I followed it. Kakashi was right. It felt like an extension of myself. I wasn't sure how far I could track it, but from the distances Kakashi had put between me and it, I never felt its presence diminish. I could always find it and it didn't cause pain or stress to be separated from it. Now, I had my kunai in my hand as I jumped from tree to tree while keeping all my senses open. As I heard something rustle to my left, my kunai glowed blue. I stopped and threw my kunai in front of me as Kakashi lunged at where I had been going. The kunai hit and was embedded in his left side. He fell to the ground and rested for a moment. I jumped down and cautiously approached him while grabbing another kunai. I have never known Kakashi to be taken down by a single kunai. He sat up and pulled the kunai out of his side.

"Good job, Akita. We're done today. You hit one of my bad spots that I don't like to push unless I'm in a life or death situation. Let's go see how the others are coming along," He said as he stood up. He gave me back my kunai, which I started cleaning off as I put away my other kunai.

"Actually, are we done for the day?" I asked as we walked. Kakashi looked down at me.

"You planning on taking off?" He asked. I smiled and nodded. He sighed. "Yeah, we're done for the day. Make sure Anko knows you're going," He said. I hugged him while saying goodbye and then ran back home.

"Anko!" I yelled when I opened the door. When no one answered, I called out again and no one answered still. I ran through the house and discovered she wasn't home. She would be home later so I quickly wrote a note and left it on the fridge. Then I grabbed my bag and left town.

Orochimaru was waiting for me outside his mansion. He was sitting there, reading a book. As soon as I got there he glanced up and smirked.

"Go up to your room and drop your bag off. Today, we're going to bring your training up a level. I hope you already ate. You're going to need your strength," He said. I sighed as I walked in and went up to my room to set my bag down. I threw my bag on my bed and noticed a white box tied with a dark blue ribbon next to my pillow. I smiled as I pulled the ribbon undone and off the box and pried the lid off. I gasped when I saw the contents. Inside was a necklace. On a small silver chain was a music note. It was an eighth note, like the symbol for the sound village. The bottom of the note and the tail at the top were both made up of diamonds. I smiled as I clipped it around my neck and then headed back downstairs to go with Orochimaru. When I opened the door, he looked up and smiled slightly. I smiled and waited for him to get up.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked as soon as he finished standing. He didn't answer, but instead turned and started walking away while motioning for me to follow. I sighed and ran to catch up to him. "Are you going to tell me, or are we just going there?" I said, slightly annoyed. He chuckled and placed a hand on my head as we walked.

"Calm down, Akita. You're so excited. Be patient. I'm quite sure you're going to hate it in a few minutes," He said as we walked. I groaned and rolled my eyes as he laughed again. After walking for about ten minutes we stopped in front of an extremely steep hill covered in rocks of all shapes and sizes. From pathetic excuses for gravel to miniature boulders. "We put this together yesterday for me to train you with. You're going to get to the top," Orochimaru said casually. I looked up at him confused.

"What's so hard about that?" I asked carefully. He smirked.

"Try it," He said smugly. I looked back to the rock trail and sighed before taking a few steps towards it.

"I feel stupid already," I whined. Orochimaru laughed quietly. Uneasy, I took a step onto the rocks. Immediately the rocks I stepped on fell loose and I fell onto my stomach and slid down. I growled as I pushed myself up. "Yup! Definitely feel stupid!" I exclaimed angrily. Orochimaru laughed and then walked towards me. My jaw dropped as he calmly walked up the entire hill without moving a single rock out of place. When he reached the top he turned and smirked at me.

"Try it again," He said.

"What did you do?" I called angrily up to him. His smirk grew.

"Figure it out on your own!" he yelled back. I grabbed a few rocks and threw them at him, which he easily dodged with that damn smirk still on his face. I stood up and started pacing. I could only think of two possibilities that would work. There was the possibility that he used chakra on the rocks, like with the tree exercise and there was also the possibility that this was a taijutsu exercise. I sighed as I gathered my chakra and approached the rocks again. As soon as I set my foot on the rocks, my chakra worked against me and made me slip and fall onto my back. I groaned.

"Chakra won't work here," Orochimaru said after I fell. I grunted and stood back up.

"Then this is pure taijutsu," I said. Orochimaru nodded. I groaned. "But I already tried just walking up it! What's the difference?!" I exclaimed.

"Temper, Akita. And the difference is balance," He told me. I glared at the rocks as I went over what that meant. In taijutsu, a ninja needed perfect balance to deliver a successful blow. But these rocks were so unsteady!

"I don't get it. In taijutsu, I understand you need absolute balance, but these rocks are so unstable! Why would balance make any difference?" I asked.

"Are they unstable? Or are they just fragile?" He asked. I stared at the rocks again. If they were fragile then...that meant that the rocks on top were slipping because the rocks below were getting crushed! If I balanced my weight, it would have a floating effect so the rocks wouldn't crumble under my weight. I took a breath and cautiously stepped onto the rocks with no weight on that foot. Slowly I transferred my weight to that foot and moved up a step. I smiled as I managed to keep going slowly. On the eighth step, I came to a boulder and I hesitated, not sure if I should step on in or go around it. Then the rocks crumbled and I slid down to the bottom.

"So why the fuck did that happen?! I was being careful! I was balanced! Why'd they crumble that time?!" I yelled at him.

"You can't hesitate. Hesitation would get you killed on a battle field. Keep going. Don't think about it too hard. Just do it," He said as I climbed back to my feet. I glared at the rocks again before once again stepping onto it. When I got to the boulder, I stepped on it and quickly pushed myself up before balancing again on the rocks after it. I glanced back as I kept moving up to find the boulder had fallen after I jumped off it. After a few more steps, I started to wobble and my left foot slipped. As I fell, instead and sliding to the ground, my right foot sunk into the rocks up to my knee. I looked down and for some reason started to laugh.

"What the fuck?!" I yelled. I tried to pull my leg out, but more rocks fell and my leg got more securely stuck in the rocks. I groaned and glared at Orochimaru. "Are you going to come help me or not? Because my leg is seriously stuck here!" I said sarcastically. Orochimaru chuckled as he sat down.

"Not really," He said as he watched me with amusement. I glared at him, then turned my focused back to my leg. I thought about it and remembered how slippery they got with chakra. Quickly I focused my chakra into my leg and pulled my leg with a sharp tug. I came lose up to my ankle and with another tug my entire leg was free.

"Ha!" I exclaimed as I threw a fist into the air. Then the rocks started to slide. I shrieked and I ended up sliding down headfirst on my back all the way to the bottom. I pushed myself up and groaned. My back was all scratched up from sliding on the rocks. I carefully stretched and felt some of the scratches start to bleed. "Fuck," I muttered as I relaxed. "This isn't fair!" I yelled up at him.

"I don't **have** to be fair," He called back as he relaxed against a tree. I glared at him as I started again.

* * *

A Few Hours Later

* * *

I pushed myself up from the ground, panting. I had gotten so close that time! I tried to stand up, but fell back down to my knees. I was exhausted and almost out of chakra. I sighed as I fell back into a sitting position. I looked up at Orochimaru. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was sleeping.

"Giving up, Akita?" Orochimaru asked without opening his eyes. I grabbed a rock and thought back to what Kakashi had taught me that morning. Slowly I let go of my last bit of usable chakra and felt it enter the rock. I smirked as I threw it at Orochimaru with all the strength I had left. It shot at him going almost too fast for me to see. When it reached Orochimaru though, he just flicked it away, like an annoying fly! Instead of hitting Orochimaru, it hit a tree and got stuck deep in the bark. I groaned as I fell back so I was lying on the ground. I sighed and relaxed. My back hurt and by body shook whenever I tried to tense or use my muscles. I heard some of the rocks falling, and opened my eyes a bit. Orochimaru was sliding down the rocks while standing. I snorted and closed my eyes again. I heard Orochimaru come over and the he picked me up. I said nothing. I was too tired. "You did exceptionally well today," He told me. My only response was an incoherent grumble that I didn't even understand. "Although, I was not pleased with the rock getting chucked at my head," He said after another minute. I smirked and grumbled again. This time it was supposed to be 'you deserved it' but I don't think he got the message. After a little while, I was put down in my bed. I heard Orochimaru start to walk away. I was asleep before I heard the door shut.

* * *

**Definitions and explanations:**

Orochimaru-daifu = That is not an actual attachment to a person's name. As seen below, Daifu means 'godfather'. I bent the rules for myself because I wanted something to add on for godfather. Do not actually use that in the real world!

Daifu – godfather

Youjo – adopted daughter


	21. Chapter 21

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, I worked very hard at achieving perfect balance. Even though I didn't have it perfected yet, I could see it helping me in everything else I do. My taijutsu was more stable, my chakra training was easier, and I was faster. My reflexes responded quicker and better when I didn't have to worry about falling. Kakashi couldn't figure out how I was advancing so quickly, and I couldn't figure out if he was concerned or pleased. It was too a point where in order to really get me going and to challenge me, Kakashi was sparring with me during training every week while the others had a three-way free-for-all battle. Kakashi had been taking us on more c-ranked missions lately. Our team was getting better, but we still have issues working together. Kakashi says it isn't the team who has issues, it's me. He says I STILL don't know how to work as part of a team. Maybe our team is defective.

* * *

"Try it again Akita." Orochimaru called down to me as I fell down the rocks again. I glared up at him as I laid on my stomach. "Glaring isn't going to get you up here faster. Now, on your feet." He said calmly. I growled at him and pushed myself up. Orochimaru kept pushing me to get up faster and without having to try so many times. As of today, I had made it up 5 out of nine times with an average time of seventeen minutes. He wanted me to be able to do it at least nine out of ten, all in less than ten minutes. I sighed and started sprinting up the hill. I figured that if he wanted me to get there in less than ten minutes, I'd have to at least sprint. When I made it within a few steps, the rocks started to crumble again. Somehow, I managed to jump up and land next to Orochimaru! But I couldn't keep my balance and fell to one knee. Orochimaru glanced over me and sighed. "We're going to need to repair that before you can do it again." He said as he stood up. I looked over and saw the dust still rising and all the large rocks had fallen to the bottom. It was pretty much impossible to climb now. I pushed myself up and stood next to him.

"How was that?" I asked rather rudely. Orochimaru glared down at me for a minute and when I glared back as well, he sighed.

"Perhaps I have been too hard on you, and rushing you." He said softly. I crossed my arms and continued to glare at him. He smiled slightly. "Alright, that's enough. The rest of the night is yours. I'll go easier on you next time." He said with a hint of humor in his voice. I smirked at him and started walking away. "Just don't go too far! There have been possible sightings of the Akatsuki in the area. I don't want to see you get hurt." He said, as I walked off. I spun around and smiled at him.

"Honestly, Orochimaru-daifu, I managed to take out one of their suppliers. I'll be fine against them!" I said confidently.

"Akita! The Akatsuki members are much more powerful than their suppliers. Don't you dare confront them! You will get hurt and possibly die." He said sternly. I rolled my eyes.

"Orochimaru-sama, I'll be fine. Don't worry so much!" I said happily. Orochimaru scowled and groaned as I turned and left.

"I mean it Akita! Don't go anywhere near them! If you see them, signal either myself, Kabuto, or the sound four and run!" Orochimaru yelled after me as I quickly left to wander.

It was beautiful. Ninja never take the time to really appreciate the beauty of nature. We are always too busy getting from place to place for missions. We focus on places to hide, places to put traps, and places to get food, but we never focus on just the beauty of it. I lounged on a large rock next to a pond for a while, until I sensed something strange in the area. I opened my eyes and rolled onto my side, where there was a snake, which I recognized as Orochimaru's Kanja, watching me. I sighed and then stuck my tongue out at it. It hissed and made itself content in the shade. I 'plthed' at it and rolled back onto my back. After about ten more minutes, it started hissing. I groaned and rolled over again and glared at it.

"Kanja! Shush. You're annoying." I exclaimed. Kanja continued to hiss at something to my right. I looked over and then looked back at the snake. "Kanja, what are you so riled up about? There's nothing there!" I said as I looked back at the snake. Kanja kept hissing and began to uncoil herself. I sighed as I pushed my self up and went over to her. "Kanja…" I started, but then I heard something behind me. I stood strait up and slowly turned around. In the shadows was the silhouette of someone watching me. "Who's there?" I called. They shifted slightly. I glared at them. "If you're trying to hide, you're doing a shitty job. I can easily see you." I yelled.

"Who says I'm _trying_ to hide?" a deep, vicious, raspy voice said. It was clearly a man, and his voice sent chills down my spine.

"If your not trying to hide, then show yourself! Why stay in the shadows?" I challenged. He began to chuckle.

"What a foolish little girl. To openly challenge an unknown enemy." He said as he stepped into the light. I couldn't help it when I gasped. It was like he was a plant! He was half white, half black, with green hair and had what looked like a giant Venus fly trap surrounding him. But, surprisingly, that wasn't what made me gasp. Living with Orochimaru, I've seen a lot of strange things. No, the thing that surprised me was his cloak. It had the red clouds on it. I instinctively took a step back.

"Y-you're a…….Ak-katsuki!" I whispered. He smirked and started laughing. Kanja kept hissing and started lunging at him. I took a deep breathe before continuing to glare at him. "What do you want?" I said carefully, though my voice was shaking. He tilted his head and watched me.

"Scared child?" He said and started laughing again. I glared at him.

"I'll ask again. What do you want?" I said, and my voice didn't shake this time. He looked at me and licked his lips. Were those teeth of his sharp?

"I want… a snack!" He exclaimed. Suddenly, vines began shooting up out of the ground wrapping around my arms, legs, and torso. I tried to tug at them and get away, but they just tightened as he laughed. I went over everything I had learned from Orochimaru, Kakashi, and Maya as creepy plant man started walking towards me. Kakashi had taught me basic maneuvers and Orochimaru had taught me how to use chakra to force my way out of a situation. Maya, however, had taught me patience and how to be strong. She taught me to be fluid. I calmed down, relaxed my body, and waited for him to get closer. He stopped and watched me. "Giving up child? Heh, no matter. That makes it easier on me." He said, excited. I glared at him as he licked his lips again. As soon as he was within about ten feet of me, I noticed the vines started to move. They were getting out of his way. I waited until I could only feel them, and then I jumped. The vines tried to tighten their grip as plant-man growled, but I was too fast and the vines had adjusted to when I let my arms and legs go limp. I landed on the rock and glared at him as he turned to glare at me. I glared at him.

"Take one more step towards me, and I'll rip you apart." I muttered. He laughed at me and started walking towards me. I started doing hand signs. He stopped and watched me, no longer smiling.

"I know that jutsu…" He said to himself, as if trying to remember. I finished and took a deep breathe. His eyes widened as he figured it out. As I exhaled, a stream of fire shot out at him. I saw a flash and knew he moved, but the question was did he get out of the way in time. When I finished the jutsu, the area that I was admiring was now scorched. I looked around and couldn't find plant-man. However, this was an S-Class Akatsuki criminal. He could be anywhere. I couldn't hear Kanja anymore. I wonder if she ran away...

After a minute, I heard groaning and the dirt started shifting. Then, plant man emerged from the ground! He was still buried up to his waist, but I had a feeling that he would have no problem getting out. He looked at his left arm, which I just noticed had a black spot that wasn't there before. He glared at me, bearing his teeth. "You little bitch. You burned my arm." He growled. I glared at him, ready to attack again.

"Zetsu! Damn it, Zetsu! Where the hell did you go?!" Someone yelled out. Zetsu, whom I assumed to be plant man, looked back in the direction he came from. He suddenly appeared a lot calmer.

"Kakuzu, weren't you and Hidan going ahead?" He asked. I looked at Zetsu. He sounded like a different person! He was… nicer.

"We were, but then Hidan so _kindly_ pointed out we needed you to get in." this _Kakuzu_ said. "He said something like 'For Jashin-sama's sake! Where the fuck did that damn plant go?! We need that fucker to get into the fucking village! Go get that fucking plant!' So here I am... who's the kid?" Kakuzu said. He had walked over during his speech and now saw me. He looked like a patchwork doll! Zetsu growled at me again.

"She was going to be my lunch, but then she burned my arm. Now, I just want to rip her apart!" He yelled. Kakuzu looked back at me, not ready to believe Zetsu.

"You were hurt by a twelve year old girl?" He said, bored.

"Thirteen." I said instinctively. Kakuzu glared at me. "I'm not twelve, I'm thirteen. There's a fucking difference." I said angrily. Kakuzu started to laugh.

"Kid, hate to burst your bubble, but there isn't _that_ much of a difference." He said laughing. I scowled at him, and before I realized it, I had chucked a head sized rock at him, which actually hit him. He yelled out and fell, while Zetsu growled and I just looked in shock.

"Brat!" Kakuzu yelled as held his head while laying on the ground.

"_Now_ can I take the time to eat her?" Zetsu asked. Kakuzu groaned. Zetsu turned to me, now smiling.

"Don't you dare." I said, glaring at him. Zetsu lunged at me. Instinctively, I turned and kicked him in the chest, sending him up in the air. I jumped up after him, and kicked him into the pond. I landed back on my rock and stood up gasping. Where did I learn to do that?! Zetsu jumped out of the pond after a minute, trying to shake the water off. I turned back to Kakuzu and saw he was now standing and glaring at me. I smirked. "Bring it! I dare you." I said confidently. He glared at me before moving aside his cloak. The stitches went all across his body and something was sticking out on his back… masks? What were those for? My thoughts were pulled back to Kakuzu as his fists suddenly came flying at me! I did a back flip, while pulling out two kunai and crossed them over the wire. It didn't sever the string completely, but his control lessened. I landed and then flipped away from them both.

"Prepare to die, brat!" Kakuzu yelled. One of the masks flew into the air and turned to face me. It began to glow, and then ice shot out at me. I jumped and rolled to my right as I tossed my kunai towards the mask. The ice froze the kunai in the air and it fell to the ground with a dull 'thud'. I hid behind the boulder, and started charging my next kunai with chakra like Kakashi had taught me. As I looked back, a saw a second mask in the air now. It started glowing as well. I pulled my head back just in time for a bolt of lightning to fly past my where my head had been. I grabbed my second kunai and charged it as well. Quickly, I jumped up and threw my kunai at the masks. They glowed as the elemental attacks were cancelled by my chakra and then they got stuck in the masks. The masks slowly lost their glow and then fell to the ground. I looked back to Kakuzu to discover him kneeling on the ground, clutching his chest. He glared at me furiously.

"Sorry, what was that about dying?" I asked calmly. Kakuzu lifted one of his hands to his mouth. There was a ring he was wearing that started to glow green.

"If anyone's in the area, get your asses over here. Zetsu and I are getting our asses kicked by some twelve year old bitch!" He said.

"Thirteen!" I yelled. He growled as the ring stopped glowing. Zetsu was watching from the shadows. He didn't seem too eager to get near me again. After a few minutes some guy ran up to Kakuzu. He stopped and looked at me. He had white hair, combed back, and strange eyes. He had a three-bladed scythe with him.

"You're getting your fucking-asses kicked by _that_?" he said. Kakuzu glared at him.

"Shut up Hidan. Her bark may be pathetic, but her bite is quite ferocious." Kakuzu.

"She's a fucking runt!" Hidan yelled while pointing at me.

"That _runt_ already kicked Zetsu in a pond, and destroyed two of my hearts." Kakuzu said angrily. Hidan stopped and looked at me again. I pulled out another kunai and started spinning it. I don't know why, it just felt natural. Hidan glared at me and switched his grip on the scythe to a better offensive grip. I found myself sinking into my defensive stance I took with Orochimaru and Maya. Hidan smirked.

"Fine. I'll take her out. Shouldn't be too hard." He mumbled. I glared at him as he started spinning his scythe and walking toward me. Suddenly, he lunged at me! I barely dodged and got around him. I threw my kunai into his neck, and it hit right in his spine. I smirked triumphantly, but he started to laugh. I watched as he pulled the kunai out, still laughing and turned to face me. "There's no fucking thing you can do to hurt me kid. I'm fucking immortal!" He said. I glared at him and started eyeing his scythe. It had a strange feel to it. I smirked.

"Really? I bet I can think of one way." I said as I crouched down. He glared at me and charged me again. I did a substitution jutsu and appeared behind him. Quickly I grabbed his scythe and teleported away. I reappeared about twenty feet away from them with the scythe in hand. I twirled it a few times and then inspected the blades. "So what is this really for? There's no way it's just a weapon. No smart ninja would use a scythe that's this difficult to clean for just fighting. So what is it? Your lawnmower? Do you use it to keep plant-dude in check? How 'bout spiffy hair cuts?!" I looked up with a grin and Hidan was glaring at me with the most frightening, murderous look, I had gotten from any of them. However, I also noticed Kakuzu was having trouble hiding his grin. I started spinning the scythe, just playing with it, and smiled at Hidan. He glared at me and then charged me. Again, my instincts took over. I swung the scythe diagonally upwards. Hidan yelled out and fell backwards as I jumped away from him. He looked down at his chest in shock. He was bleeding, and it had hurt him. I smirked and leaned on the scythe. "Told'ya I'd find a way to hurt you." I said arrogantly. Suddenly a flurry of small papers flew threw the air! The paper spun in a circle around me, then went and began spinning next to Kakuzu. After a few seconds, they materialized into a girl with blue hair with a rose in her hair.

"Kakuzu, what happened?" She asked.

"First she kicked Zetsu's ass. Then she kicked my ass. Now she's kicking Hidan's ass. Is it your turn Konan?" He said calmly. The girl, Konan apparently, looked at Hidan in shock.

"She- …She actually hurt him?!" She exclaimed. Kakuzu sighed and nodded. Konan stared at me. Though, she didn't glare. It was like she was analyzing me. I smiled.

"So we have plant-dude, patchwork-dude, 'Fucking-Immortal'-dude, and now paper-girl! So what can you do besides turn yourself into thousands of pieces of paper?" I said cheerfully. NOW she was glaring! She pulled out a piece of paper folded to look like a sword. It began to glow and then grew into a full sized sword! "Oh geeze. You might be difficult to fight." I mumbled. She smirked. I stopped leaning on Hidan's scythe and got into an offensive position. Instantaneously, we ran at each other. I swung the scythe as she swung her sword. There was a 'clang' that rang through the air as the chakra strengthening her sword collided with the scythe. She was fast. Faster than the others had been. She confirmed my suspicions that the others didn't take me seriously. She did. And I was going to lose soon if I didn't do something. I flipped away from her and she partially turned into paper to follow me. As I kept jumping away, I prepared another fire jutsu. I jumped away again and just as she turned into paper, I blew the flames at her. I distinctly heard her scream! When the flames cleared, she was on the ground with… was that a shark man tending to her? She looked really bad, with burns all over her body. Shark-dude motioned for Hidan to come over, who did quickly and picked her up. She looked at me. It was strange, but she wasn't angry. She seemed intrigued as she looked at me. Shark-dude stood up and pulled out a giant sword. I couldn't help but interrupt. "Okay, I understand this is a terrible time to ask and you are all pissed at me, with the exception of Konan who doesn't seem mad at all, but I have to know. What is so significant about that sword? Zabuza had one, and now you have one. Weapons like that are not coincidences. Especially since you both appeared to be from the same village." I asked. Shark-dude looked at me, shocked. Then he smirked.

"Alright, there is no way I can let someone that perceptive not get an answer to that question. But first, what happened to Zabuza?" Shark-dude asked. I smiled.

"My sensei killed him while we were on a mission." I said sweetly. Shark-dude nodded.

"Alright. Those who have these swords were once known as the Seven Swordsmen." He said.

"The same Seven Swordsmen who attempted a coup d'état on Kirigakure by trying to assassinate the Mizukage?" I interrupted. Shark-dude smiled and turned to the rest of the group.

"Do we have to fight her? She's actually smart and knows what she's doing!" He said cheerfully.

"Not to mention this whole thing is Zetsu's fault. He tried to eat me, I simply defended myself." I said loudly.

"There ya go!" Shark-dude said happily.

"KISAME!" Hidan, Kakuzu, and Zetsu all yelled. Shark-dude sighed.

"Sorry kid, the group has decided." He said as he picked his sword back up. I sighed and grabbed the scythe again.

"Kisame! Don't you fucking DARE hurt my damn scythe!" Hidan yelled. Kisame smirked when he realized that was my weapon. He shrugged.

"No promises!" He yelled back. Then he ran at me while Hidan yelled at him in the background. I swung the scythe up as Kisame swung the sword down. I knew his sword was big, I knew he must be strong to wield it like paper, and I knew this scythe was nothing compared to the sword in my hands. Then these new instincts took over again. Just as the scythe caught the sword I twirled the scythe and ripped the handle from Kisame's grasp.

Time almost stopped. It was like slow motion. The sword spun out of his hand, and went into the ground across the burned field. The ground all looked shocked and Kisame looked alarmed. He looked back at me as I spun around and hit him in the face with the blunt end of the scythe. He fell to the ground and I looked at the rest of the group.

Then time resumed.

There were three more of them! Only… one of the new guys didn't have a cloak. Instead he had an orange swirly mask. The other two were members for sure. One had hair that looked a lot like Ino's! The other was wearing a hat with ribbons on it so I couldn't see his face. The person with Ino's hair looked at me.

"That's the brat, un? She's a kid, yeah! What is she doing outside her village, un? Hey kid, un! What are you doing outside your village, yeah?!" He yelled. Definitely a guy's voice. Instantly, I took a cute pose with my hip popped to the left, leaning to the right and my hands clasped together in front of my right knee.

"I'm special!" I announced sweetly. There was a moment of silence… and then transgender-dude burst out laughing.

"She's ADORABLE, un! Can we keep her, yeah?" He exclaimed. I nearly fell over laughing.

"Deidara." The one with the hat rasped. Transgender-dude turned to him. "Don't go getting any ideas. She must die. She knows almost everyone's name, and fighting style. She's a major threat if allowed to live." he explained. Transgender-dude smiled.

"But Sasori-danna, if we keep her, she's no longer a threat." He said cheerfully.

"Deidara!" He said menacingly. Transgender-dude, whose name must be Deidara, sighed.

"Fine Sasori-danna." He said, and then he turned back to me. He smiled sadly. "Sorry kid. I would rather not, but what Sasori-danna says, goes." he said sadly. I smiled.

"Don't worry. I've already figured out that Sasori is an ass. Besides, you're not going to hurt me." I said confidently, as I gripped the strap behind my back. Hidan's scythe lay all but forgotten at my side. Deidara went to reach for something inside his cloak. After a minute he looked up, alarmed. Then he glared at me.

"Where is it, un?" He growled. I smiled and pulled his bag in front of me.

"So what's in it?" I asked as I unzipped it. Deidara was glaring at me with his jaw dropped and practically a fire in his eyes. Inside the bag was a lot of clay. I looked up at him. "What kind of fighting style can do with clay?" I asked genuinely interested. Deidara glared at me.

"Give it back, un. Now!" he demanded. I shrugged and tossed it back to him. Konan looked up at Sasori, who seemed to be working on her burns like a medic.

"Is something wrong with her mentally?" she questioned.

"I doubt it. She seems very sane and actually appears to meet the qualifications of 'genius'" He said quietly. Konan shook her head. Deidara put his hand in the bag and after a minute, threw several small claw birds at me! They were so cute! But then they started flying on their own towards me and I knew that those were evil little shits. I jumped up and flipped away just as I heard Deidara say 'Katsu!' The birds exploded! I landed on the ground and looked at Deidara again.

"That was pretty fucking awesome. Give me that bag back." I said shakily. Deidara smirked and shook his head. I grabbed Hidan's scythe and glared at him. "Deidara, I've managed to keep Hidan's scythe this whole time. I threw Kisame's sword way over there. I burned Konan to the point that she screamed. I think I can get that bag." I said stubbornly. Deidara reached into the bag again. I quickly did the shadow clone jutsu and hid in the trees. He threw several more birds at my clones and set them off. Out of the smoke, many of my clones lunged forward and attacked Deidara. He destroyed several clones, but they got the bag away from him! My clone smiled triumphantly, but Deidara was also smiling. Not even a second later, the bag exploded! I smiled and grabbed the bag before the smoke could clear. For some reason, it was still in tact! I smiled at him when the smoke cleared. Once again, he looked ready to bite me like a rabid dog.

"I told you she might qualify as genius. She planned all that after seeing him attack once." Sasori said. Konan nodded as he finished wrapping her arm. Sasori then stood up and looked at me. "Deidara, relax. This girl is more than any of us could predict. I expect her reasons for not being in her village right now is because they don't realize what she can do, how smart she is, and possibly she's training with someone she shouldn't be with. Tell me girl, am I correct?" Sasori asked. I refused to say anything. He didn't need to know that he was right. I pulled out a scroll and motioned for Deidara to fall back. He glared at Sasori, but did as he was told. Sasori did something and suddenly the scroll was replaced by a wooden person standing next to him.

"Ooooh. You're a puppeteer!" I said simply. The puppet nodded. I yawned. "This is getting boring. What can your puppets do?" I said, exhausted. Sasori's shoulders slumped. The puppet shook it's head. Next thing I knew, it was holding the bag and Hidan's scythe. I looked around me. "Well, fuck." I mumbled. I didn't bother getting up though.

"How the fuck did that work?" Hidan asked.

"Because I understand what we're dealing with." Sasori said. I 'plth'ed and smirked.

"Sasori, you don't know shit." I said. The puppet went to attack and the instincts took over again. I flipped up, grabbed a kunai, and drove it into the puppet's head. It effectively cracked the entire puppet and bits of it fell out. The puppet fell to the ground, useless. Sasori stiffened. Then the masked guy ran up and got right in my face!

"Hello! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi wants to know where you learned that!" He yelled very quickly. I leaned back. Here was some guy who just freaked out like a three year old. I nodded slowly.

"Ooookay." I said slowly and started backing away. "Who the hell are you?" I asked slowly.

"Tobi's name is Tobi!" He said cheerfully. I slowly nodded again.

"Okay. Now we have a crazy-dude. Hi crazy-dude." I said slowly.

"Are you fucking joking!? She takes us all on without a fucking second thought and it's **TOBI** WHO FUCKING FREAKS HER OUT?! WHAT THE FUCK?!" Hidan yelled.

"Enough!" An angry voice said. Everyone turned around, suddenly nervous. "You are all late and wasting time. **What** are you doing?" Someone said calmly. Kisame smiled at the new member.

"Well, You see Itachi-"

"Itachi?! As in, Sasuke-chan's older brother?!" I exclaimed. The new member came into view. With the sharingan activated. "Oh yeah, you are DEFFINITELY Sasuke's brother." I muttered, refusing to look away but not looking in his eyes. He glared at me.

"Explain." He said.

"Well, she pissed of Zetsu, Kakuzu and Hidan. Deidara thinks she's adorable, Sasori thinks she's a genius, I think she's pretty damn resourceful, Tobi likes her but he likes everyone, and Konan is intrigued. So far, she's kicked everyone's ass and we know nothing about her." Kisame explained. Itachi's focus returned to me.

"Her name is Akita. She's a gennin in Konoha on a team with my brother, the kyuubi container, and a pink-haired child. She leaves for unknown reasons almost every week and may not return until the net day or two." Itachi said. He then looked around the group. "You all lost to _**that**_?" He demanded. They all had sheepish looks. Itachi glared at me again. "Since you are so open with your names, I'm amusing she needs to be elimination but none of you can get close enough." Itachi said. I glared at him as he began approaching me. I could feel the instincts wanting to take over and I started fidgeting. They were stronger now. It was making me want to run away. Really, REALLY fast! Kisame nodded and Itachi turned his full attention on me. Suddenly, he dashed at me and I let the instincts take over. I flipped into the air and barely dodged Itachi's kunai. His eyes followed me and before I could finish the flip, he swung the blade sideways and it went through my side. I cried out as I flew through the air. I groaned when the dirt got into the wound when I landed. I pushed myself up and suddenly Itachi was grabbing my arm and twisting it! I screamed as he threw me through the air when it broke. It felt like it was burning. I leaned against a tree as he watched me, and I examined my arm. The bone was sticking out of my arm. I glared at Itachi. It was then I felt a familiar chakra. I smirked.

"You won't kill me." I whispered. Itachi turned and started walking towards me.

"Ignorant brat." He whispered. It was then that Sakon was in front of me.

"You will not hurt the little kage." He said furiously. Itachi's glare intensified at Sakon.

"Little kage? What kage is she apprentice to?" He demanded.

"Me." Someone said. Orochimaru walked behind Sakon to me. "Akita is **my** little kage. Now, leave." He hissed. Moments later, Tayuya, Jirobou, and Kidomaru all appeared taking defensive positions in front of Orochimaru and I. I sighed, finally relaxing. Orochimaru glanced at me and then back at Itachi.

"So, the girl is your apprentice?" Itachi asked.

"No. The girl is my youjo." Orochimaru replied. Konan gave me a… was that a look of pity? It was then that Deidara, Tobi, and Sasori, carrying Konan, left on a giant bird. Kakuzu and Hidan were next to leave a few minutes later. Zetsu growled but left eventually. After about fifteen minutes of Orochimaru's statement, it was just us, Itachi, and Kisame.

"Itachi, we gotta go." Kisame said quietly. Orochimaru and Itachi glared at each other for a few minutes before he walked over to Kisame.

"Next time I see her, your _youjo _will be dead." Itachi said, before they left. After a few more minutes, everyone relaxed. Orochimaru rounded on me.

"Idiot!" He yelled at me. I flinched. "What did I tell you?!"

"To signal someone and run." I said.

"Yet you decided to fight!"

"I WAS DOING **JUST** FINE!" Orochimaru held out my broken arm. "I was doing better before Itachi showed up." Orochimaru sighed.

"What will I do with you?" he mumbled.

"Well, Konoha would be nice. Can't go back with my arm already in a cast." I said sadly. Orochimaru groaned.

* * *

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Anko yelled. Several nurses shushed her. I was sitting in the hospital while a doctor worked on putting my arm in a cast. All the jounin senseis were there, and the Hokage, AND all the other members of the Konoha 13. Anko was pissed. I smiled sheepishly.

"Weeeeeeeeelllll…… I guess you could say… Itachi is such an ass!" I muttered. The room went dead silent.

Definitions:

Kanja – A spy

Konoha 13 – The original Konoha 9 plus team Gai plus Akita


	22. Chapter 22

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

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Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The room was as quiet as death itself. I looked around sheepishly.

"Someone say something." I mumbled.

"Itachi? As in, MY BROTHER Itachi?!" Sasuke yelled. I smiled again. "Why are you still ALIVE?!" He yelled, jumping to his feet. Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit back down.

"Sasuke's question is a good one. You should be dead." He said. I shrugged.

"I've been asking myself that same question since plant-dude decided to try and eat me." I said. Several people gave me weird looks. "Okay, so there was more than one Akatsuki. It started when I just chillin on a rock after I went for a swim. There was something in the shadows and it freaked me out. It ended up being some guy that had, like, a Venus fly trap for a head. His name is Zetsu, but I call him plant-dude. He doesn't like water. He left me pretty much alone after I kicked him into the pond. He was REALLY convinced he was going to eat me. During that time, patchwork-dude, or Kakuzu, showed up. He looked like a patchwork doll. No joke. There are wires holding his skin together! And he can use those wires to attack with. There are also masks on his back that can fly and shoot stuff at you. He only attacked me with two and those shot ice and lightning. I broke those two and that really hurt him. Then Hidan, or 'Fucking-immortal-dude', showed up. He can't be hurt by any weapon other than his scythe. I suspect there is some kind of special jutsu involved or something like that. Maybe a kekkai-genkai? Either way, shortly after, paper-girl showed up. Her name is Konan. She has blue hair with a paper rose in it. She uses origami based jutsus. She fought me using a chakra-enhanced origami sword. She can also travel by turning herself into hundreds of pieces of paper. I beat her by burning her when she was moving like that. Then came shark-dude, or Kisame. He's a former member of the Seven Swordsmen. I used Fucking-Immortal-dude's scythe to throw shark-dude's sword away from him. I don't know how. I kind of hooked his sword in the scythe and twisted. Either way, it worked. Then transgender-dude, puppet-dude, and crazy-dude showed up. Their names are Deidara, Sasori and Tobi respectively. Deidara looks like he could be Ino's long lost cousin!" At this point Ino stopped moving.

"What?" She said quietly. I nodded.

"He looked just like you. You guys even wear your hair alike." I said. Ino shook her head.

"No." She said. I smiled.

"So Deidara fights using exploding clay. Very dangerous. He uses chakra so they're like animals and they explode on command. But, take his clay away and he's a wimp. Sasori is a puppeteer. Enough said. Tobi doesn't fight. He acts like an eight year old. THAT was when Itachi showed up. He cut my side and broke my arm. He outranks the rest of them by a long shot." I said.

"How did you survive fighting them before Itachi showed up?" Kakashi asked. I looked at the ground, thinking.

"I can't explain it." I said after a few minutes. I looked back up. "It was strange. When I fought them, I didn't really think. I went on instinct. I don't know how I did it or why, only that I did. I don't know if I can do it again, and I don't know what sparked it or anything!" I explained. Kakashi and the Hokage both had thoughtful looks now.

"How were able to fight them? They are far to advanced for you." Asuma said. I glared at him.

"I was doing just fine!" I exclaimed. All eyes were instantly on my injuries. "I was doing better until Itachi showed up." I mumbled. Some people chuckled.

"Did they all fight individually?" Kurenai asked. I knodded. She looked confused. "That's abnormal for such a large group. If they're getting beat, they would have fought as a group and killed you. I understand that you managed to make some members completely vulnerable to attack, but the others were still fine. It makes no sense." She said.

"Yes it does." Lord Hokage said. Everyone looked at him. "They focus all their attacks on their specialties. You heard what Akita said. They all tend to focus their attacks by using their specialties. Akita managed to disarm their specialties. From the sounds of it, the only one that really had any taijutsu that could be used effectively on its own was Uchiha Itachi. Akita managed to intimidate them because of her instinctual abilities. Combine the intimidation with losing the ability to use their specialties, and they had no idea what to do with her. How often does one run into a child with that skill?" There was silence. Lord Hokage sighed. "The last time Konoha saw someone like that was when Uchiha Itachi was a child." I could feel the tension in the room.

"Great. We've established that I'm rare and very lucky. Can I go home now?" I asked.

"She is well enough to leave, so if you are going to continue this then I ask that you do leave. We need to keep rooms open incase of an emergency." The medic said. That said, several ninja started to stand up. Lord Hokage nodded.

"We've learned all we're going to learn. Kakashi, come with me. The rest of you are dismissed." He said. I yawned and jumped down to the floor. The cast and the bandages around my stomach felt awkward. Anko walked over and helped me keep my balance.

"Welcome to the life of high ranking shinobi. Freak fights and situations like this. This is why we have such great balance." She said sourly. I grinned. She rolled her eyes at my enthusiasm and we started walking home.

"Remember, come back in three weeks for the cast to come off!" The nurse shouted after them. Anko waved her off and we kept walking.

"Now don't think this means you're all high and mighty now. You got lucky and had something happen at the right time. Nothing more!" Anko said sternly. I nodded.

"I know that. But you should have been there! It was great!" I said cheerfully. She sighed.

"What will we do with you?" She mumbled.

"Can we get a dog?"

"What?! Where did that come from?!"

"Can we?"

"No!"

* * *

~Kakashi POV~

* * *

At the Hokage tower, I looked out the window.

"What do you think?" Lord Hokage asked.

"Very common symptoms of a fresh kekkai-genkai. Possibly an adrenaline rush, but unlikely in the situation. If we knew her surname we would know what to expect, but that's out of the question." I recited. Lord Hokage nodded.

"I agree. After she gets her cast off, pay extremely close attention to her behavior. It most likely is a kekkai-genkai, but it may not necessarily awaken yet. Yet it may still affect her actions. I want you personally to start tailing her when she leaves the village. I want her watched at all times." He said.

"Sir, you still think it's wise to let her come and go like that with the _entire_ Akatsuki around?" I said quickly. Lord Hokage chuckled.

"Really Kakashi, is there any stopping the child?" He asked. I thought about it for a minute and then chuckled.

"Guess not." I said as I shrugged. Lord Hokage smiled.

"Exactly. Now, since we don't know what to expect from the possible kekkai-genkai, remember to watch her fighting style. It may have changed without her knowledge due to the fight with the Akatsuki." He said. I nodded.

"Understood. When should I report?" I asked.

"If you don't notice anything after three weeks of her being back in training, then we'll drop it. If you do notice something I want to be informed immediately." He said. I nodded and then left.

The next day, Akita surprised us by showing up for training.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not getting up from my place against the bottom of the tree. She scowled at me.

"My arm may be injured, but that's no reason to not train!" She exclaimed. I sighed. I was teaching her the wrong things, I think.

"Akita, you need to give your arm at least some time to heal. You are supposed to be at home for the next week." I said plainly. She simply placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. I sighed. She would never leave now. "Alright, alright, omouto. Sakura! Break off from the guys and come train with Akita. The stubborn brat refuses to listen to the medics." I mumbled the last part.

"Just like a certain copy-ninja I know." She said slyly. I glared at her. Sakura ran over cheerfully.

"Akita! What are you doing here?! You should be resting!" She exclaimed. Akita grinned.

"I can take it!" She said confidently. I rolled my eyes. She and Sakura went off to spare while Naruto and Sasuke once again tried to kill each other. I looked back down at my book.

"Sakura, Akita, remember to take it easy. Boys! Stop trying to kill each other!" I yelled, not looking back up from my book. Then there was a boom and a cloud of dirt. I sighed and was about to yell at the boys again when I caught sight of Akita and Sakura. Akita was coming back down from a kick. I gasped silently when I noticed her form as she recovered from the kick. She was sheltering her broken arm, but otherwise her form was exactly like that of Uchiha Itachi! I watched carefully as she and Sakura continued to fight and I noticed traits that were certainly not hers. She was much more fluid than before. Before she was like water, but now she was like wind. She was more stable. She could probably stand up against a special jounin. I watched her for the rest of training and when the rest of the team left, I held her behind. "Akita, what were you doing during training?" I asked. She looked at me like I was stupid.

"I sparred with Sakura like you said." She said simply. I looked at her closely. She wasn't hurt and she didn't look tired. Her form she had borrowed was perfect and she didn't seem to know she was doing anything different. I looked her over again and she started to get annoyed. "What?" She snapped. I sighed.

"I want you to come early tomorrow." I said. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine. But you better be on time. I'll be here at seven. If you're not here, I'm leaving." She said stubbornly. I nodded. After she left, I poofed to the windowsill in the Hokage's office. He looked up at me.

"Yes Kakashi?" He asked.

"Akita showed up for training today." I said, still reading my book.

"Oh? And?"

"Her fighting style matches that of Uchiha Itachi." I said nonchalantly. He stopped writing and turned to face me completely.

"You are sure?" He asked. I nodded. "And her reaction?"

"She doesn't know. She did it without thinking. We can assume she has a kekkei-genkai. I believe that it is also safe to assume she may not know about it." I said. Lord Hokage thought about this for a while.

"I see. Then she's really a danger to herself. She does not realize what she may end up doing." He said. I shrugged.

"She seems perfectly fine. In fact, there was something I was hoping that could be worked out for her." I said, putting my book down. Lord Hokage waiting for me to continue. "When are the next exams?" I asked.

"She needs a team for that. The rest of them aren't ready." He said.

"Anko didn't have a team when she took it."

"That was with the permission of the other kages."

"Then we could ask again. Akita is ready and perfectly capable. She needs to move on." I said. Lord Hokage sighed.

"The next one is in eight months in Suna. I will begin contacting the other Kages to arrange the circumstances. You should start training her individually. She needs to be ready to go up against very strong groups with absolutely no help." He said. I chuckled.

"Example A. Akatsuki." I muttered.

"I do not believe she did that on her own. Not after Itachi showed up anyway. Showing the signs she's showing, there is no doubt that she did hold her own against the others, but we all know Itachi and his strengths. She should be dead." He said. I nodded.

"Alright. I'm actually training with her early tomorrow. I'll start a bi-weekly training schedule with just her to prep her. Arigato, Lord Hokage." I said, and then I poofed home.

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

The next morning, I arrived at the training grounds at 6:58 am. I looked around and found that, naturally, Kakashi wasn't here yet. I sighed as I walked over to the tree. I decided to give him until 7:01, but as soon as 7:01 came I was gone. I sat under the tree and then, I got a surprise.

"Yo." I looked up.

"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE ON TIME!" I yelled, causing him to fall out of the tree. He sat up and glared at me.

"Is it that hard to believe?"  
"Did you run out of cats to cross your path?" He grinned.

"I think they're learning to avoid me." I laughed. Then he stood up and started walking away from the trees. "Let's go Akita." He said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I want to see if you're ready for something. Now let's go." He said. I jumped up and started following him. He turned around and I stopped. "We're going to spar and I'm not going to hold back as much as I used too. You need to be ready. Are you?" He asked. I smirked.

"Let's go." I said, excited. Instantly, he sent a kick to my head. I ducked and tried to kick him in the chest. He caught my foot and twisted, sending me into the ground. I caught my self and pushed off the ground, causing me to flip over Kakashi and kick him in the back. He recovered quickly and attacked me again. This went on for almost two hours.

"Why… are we…. doing this?!" I said in between attacks. Kakashi kicked me again and I rolled.

"I've enrolled you in the Chuunin Exams in Suna set for 8 months from now. You won't have a team." He said. I froze. He kicked me in the stomach and sent me flying. "You alright?" He called when I landed. I sat up.

"How is that possible?! You need a team to advance! That's the rules!" I exclaimed.

"Not if you have permission from all the Kages. If they agree, you're going." He said. I grinned.

"I'm going to be a chuunin." I said. Kakashi shrugged.

"It's Possible."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed happily.


	23. Chapter 23

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

* * *

Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Can you believe it Maya?! I'm going to be a chuunin! I'm so excited." I said as I danced around her. She shook her head.

'_You silly girl. There is no guarantee that you will succeed. There is also the risk that the other kages won't agree to such a thing. Stop getting so excited._' Maya lectured. I sat down in front of her.

"You really know how to be a killjoy." I mumbled. Maya laughed. Then she nudged me and stood up. "What?" I questioned. She sighed.

'_Well, if this is going to work, then you need to practice some more._' She said slowly. I squealed and was immediately hugging her.

"THANK YOU, MAYA! I love you SOOO much!" I exclaimed. She laughed and licked my cheek. I let go and looked at her, excited. "So what should we work on?" I asked quickly. Maya yawned and stretched.

'_Do you know where the exams are going to be held?_' She asked as she yawned again. I nodded.

"Suna!" I exclaimed. Maya shook her head quickly.

'_Then we'll have to work on your endurance. You've never been to the desert. It is an extremely different climate from this forest._' She explained. I scoffed. She growled. '_I mean it Akita! Here, it is wet and cool. On the odd days that it is hot, it is humid. Your skin drinks the moist air in and it keeps you going. However, it never reaches the same heat as the desert. The desert is much hotter than anything you have ever encountered in fire country. It's the country that holds the records for hottest summer days and there is no water anywhere near it. It's always a dry heat. Your body won't like that kind of heat. If you don't prepare now, you will crumble in Suna._' She lectured. I groaned.

"How long could we possibly stay there?" I asked. "It couldn't be more than a week or two." Maya laughed coldly.

'_On average, the chuunin exams last about five weeks. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter depending on the village hosting it and their preferences._' Maya explained. My jaw dropped.

"I'm going to spend over a month in the desert?!" I exclaimed. Maya nodded. I groaned and fell back onto the ground. "Fuck." I muttered. Maya laughed.

'_Alright Akita. Up. We're going to do drills to get your endurance up._' She told me. I groaned again. Maya walked over and bit the collar of my shirt. '_Up._' She said again. I said nothing and stayed down. She growled and suddenly pulled me up by my shirt. In a matter of seconds I was standing, looking Maya in the eyes. '_I said up._' She growled. I sighed.

"Fine. I'm up!" I said annoyed. Maya huffed and turned away. She looked around and then smirked.

'_I know the perfect exercise to prepare you for the desert. These trees are old. Ancient, even. As such, they are very tall. Climb to the top for starters._' she said. I looked at her like she was crazy. She looked back at me and sighed. '_Don't you trust me?_' she asked. I nodded. '_Then get up there._' she said while looking up at the top of the tree. I sighed, but I did jump in the tree like Maya told me to. I climbed as high as I could go. When I reached the last branch that seemed strong enough to hold me up, I nearly fell. Maya was sitting there patiently.

"What the-?! How did you-?" I exclaimed. Maya simply looked at me before getting up and walking past me, nearly causing me to fall again. She then jumped to the nearest tree. She turned around and looked at me. I shook my head as realization sunk in. "No way. No way in hell, Maya!" I said. She glared at me and growled. I groaned. I took a deep breathe and leaped across the branches. When I landed I collapsed and had to hold on to keep from falling. It was so hard to breathe!

'_This is what it will feel like for you to fight in the desert. It will be hard to breathe because the air is so much dryer than you are accustomed to. We'll start small so you can learn to manage your breath. Just follow me threw the trees._' She explained. Now I understood why she was so serious. I felt like I couldn't get enough air into my lungs. She crouched down and looked around as I got back on my feet. '_Ready?_' she asked. I nodded. Then she leaped to another tree. I quickly followed. It was like a game of cat and mouse. She moved so fast and I was using every trick I knew to keep up. Then she threw me off buy jumping up a tree that was taller than the rest. There were a few trees that were sticking up above us. Maya was jumping up the trunk of one, then over the trunk of another and back and forth to reach taller branches. I quickly followed her as best I could, but it was getting very hard to breathe! As soon as we landed on a rather large branch (ridiculously large for how high up we were! How old was this tree?!) I fell to my hands and knees, panting. Maya walked over and nudged me. '_Are you alright or do you want to stop for today? We have come pretty far. It's a good start._' She told me. I nodded to her, unable to catch my breathe enough to talk. She slid under me, gently picking me up onto her back. After I had managed to secure a fistful of her fur in my hand, she started descending the tree. When we reached the bottom, I realized I had no recognition of this place. This part of the forest was unfamiliar. I didn't even know a place as old as this existed. The very air that I filled my lungs with down here felt old.

"Maya… where are we?" I asked quietly, my voice hoarse from lack of moisture in the air. She turned and licked my cheek. Then she nudged my chin and kept walking. She was silent and I followed suit. The forest we were in looked like it came out of a fairytale. The grass was the perfect shade of green. The trees were just the right size and spacing to see threw them for at least 100 yards, with everything getting darker the farther you looked. It was the kind of forest where the light seemed to move with you. No matter where you went, that area was always perfectly lit up. Maya seemed to walk down a path only she could see.

'_Someday you'll see this place for what it is._' she whispered. I looked at her, questionably. '_If everything goes according to fate, you'll see this place twice more before you die. Just… don't stray from the path fate has set for you. Never stray…_' she trailed off. I looked at her, even more confused now. Then, a butterfly flew in front of me and landed on my nose. It was content to sit there as Maya walked. Eventually, it flew away and Maya chuckled. '_That was Naferti. She seems to have taken a liking to you._' Maya said sadly. I looked at her.

"Naferti?" I asked. Maya sighed.

'_Like me, Naferti is a keishu. However, she is forever trapped in a paradox. She is a keishu without an ikku. Her ikku died and the next one died before she was born because her father abused her mother. So Naferti is doomed to forever wander without her ikku._' Maya explained.

"Maya, if an ikku can't exist without a keishu, how can a keishu exist without an ikku?" I questioned. Maya sighed.

'_They don't._' She said sadly.

"What do you mean? Naferti seemed quite alive to me!" I exclaimed. Maya sighed again.

'_That is because she is no longer a true keishu. She lost her powers and is now an immortal butterfly. She's been in that part of the forest for centuries._' Maya explained. I looked back, feeling sad for Naferti. '_Don't. She's alright. She's with her friends now._' Maya told me.

"How can that be? What was that place?" I questioned.

'_That place is called the Deguchi. The Gateway. It is a place where spirits and keishus cross over to the other world and back. Some keishus must wait for their next ikku to be born and that is where they wait. The Deguchi is our home. Our sanctuary. One day you will go back and you will be able to see it in all it's glory._' Maya said lovingly. I sighed and laid down on Maya's back.

"Take me home Maya. I get my cast off tomorrow." I muttered. Maya chuckled.

'_Has it already been three weeks?_' She asked. I nodded. '_Well, just remember not to push yourself to hard. Your arm still needs a little more time to heal._' She lectured.

"I know!" I whined. Maya rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not like I go looking for trouble." I said.

'_Oh no. Of course not. Which is why you can never seem to follow the rules or do as you're told._' Maya said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"May I remind you that I never looked for the Akatsuki! The plant dude found me and I was just defending myself! It's not my fault that they all showed up." I said. Maya sighed.

'_Just drop it. We're never going to agree on this. Now, hold on tight!_' Maya said. She crouched down as I quickly grabbed her fur. Then she dashed. I always think it's amazing how fast Maya can run. I doubt even Kakashi could keep up with her. The forest was a blur. A distance that took me hours to cross only took her about one hour to run through. She skidded to a halt, panting to catch her breathe. Then she yawned and stretched as I slipped off her back. She looked at me. '_What will you do when the cast is off?_' She asked. I shrugged.

"I still need to tell Orochi-sama about me entering the chuunin exams so I'll probably visit him in a few days. Why?" I said. Maya sighed and shook her head. She remained silent. I sighed. "Fine. Don't tell me. I've got to get home anyway. I'll see you later." I said. She ran over and licked my cheek. I laughed. "Ok, ok Maya. I love you too. I'll see you soon. Bye." I said and then I had to run to get home.

* * *

I stretched my arm and wrist as soon as the doctor took the cast off. Anko was sitting next to me, only she was sitting backwards on a chair and I was on the stupid table/bed thing that they make you sit on.

"Alright, now lets look at that arm." the doctor said. I held me arm out for him and he gently grabbed it and started examining where the bone was broken. "Do you feel any pain?" I shook my head. "How does your arm feel?" He asked.

"Stiff." I said simply. He nodded and started gently pushing and poking my arm.

"Let me know if anything I do causes any sort of pain." He said simply and then continued to poke my arm. When I stayed quiet, he started to apply more pressure. "Anything?" he questioned. I shook my head again. He smiled and let go of my arm. "Well then, it will probably still be a bit tender so don't to anything too strenuous on that arm for at least a week, preferably two. Other than that, everything seems to have healed quite nicely. If your arm starts hurting for any odd reason and the pain doesn't go away like it normally would, come back and have it looked at for safe keeping. Understand?" He questioned. I smiled and nodded. "Alright then, you can go home." He said. Anko stood up.

"Thanks doc. Let's go, Akita. I have a mission in half an hour so you need to get home." Anko told me as we left.

"What's the mission?" I asked.

"Escort. B-ranked." she said.

"Who are you escorting?" I asked. Anko shrugged.

"Some feudal lord who lives on the other side of the country. Apparently, he's rich and powerful in that part of our country. Almost all the ninja requests from that region have to go through him before they get to us. He's very good at solving things on his own, supposedly." She said. I laughed.

"You don't seem very enthused." I said. Anko snorted.

"I just don't want have to listen to him complain and whine all the way to his home." She explained.

"What makes you think he'll do that? Have you even met the man yet?" I questioned. Anko shook her head. "Then why are you assuming he'll be like that?" I exclaimed.

"Because _all_ the lords are like that!" She said with a growl. I chuckled.

"So, is it alright if I leave again tonight? I promise to be careful!" I said quickly. She rounded on me.

"You **just** got your cast off." She said. I grinned. "And you were out the night before last. Why do you want to go now?" She asked.

"Well, It's easier to train out there. Kakashi recommended me for the chuunin exams, you know! I have to be ready! Please?!" I pleaded. She looked at me for a few moments and then sighed.

"Sure. Just be careful. Your arm still needs some time to heal." She said. Instantly I was hugging her and yelling 'thank you' as fast as I could. She pushed me off and then smiled a very small smile. "I'm sending Kakashi to check on you at noon. If you aren't back by then, you aren't leaving for a month. Understand?" she demanded. I nodded and hugged her again. She sighed. "Well, now I have to find Kakashi and tell him to check on you tomorrow. I'll be home in three days. Think you can take care of yourself until then?" She questioned. I thought about it. Two days in the house without Anko there. I grinned up at her.

"No problem." I said sweetly. Anko then gave me a hug and headed towards Kakashi's place while I headed out to visit Orochimaru.

* * *

I opened the doors and went to sit in the living room, where I found Tayuya. I stopped and looked at her as she glared at me.

"Hello, Tayuya." I said simply before sitting down on the couch. She just glared at me.

"Where have you been?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Anko decided that I wasn't to leave while my arm was in a cast. Today, the cast came off. So today I'm back. Why? Did you miss me?" I asked sarcastically with a smile. She scowled and left the room. After she was gone, I burst out laughing.

"I know you've been taught to behave better than that." someone said. I spun around and smiled.

"Orochi-sama!" I exclaimed as I jumped over the couch and hugged him. He responded with him typical hand on my head. I smiled up at him. "Guess what!! Kakashi recommended me for the chuunin exams!" I yelled. Orochimaru smiled.

"This is excellent, Akita. But that means we have a lot of work to do." He said. I nodded.

"I know that. Kakashi is already giving me extra training sessions to prepare." I said. Orochimaru nodded, but then he started thinking.

"You're going to need more than just extra training…" He said quietly. I looked up at him questioningly.

"Orochi-sama?" I started. Orochimaru looked down at me.

"I think I know what we should do next." he said. I flinched away when I saw the look on his face. I hated the look he gave me. It was the same look he gave me every time he wanted me to take something. He looked down at me again. "Come with me. Now." He said. Reluctantly, I followed him up the stairs up to the room he kept all the mixtures in. We walked in and he shut the door before going over to the various 'whatever-they-were's and examining them. He picked out three of them and started mixing a small amount of each together in a small flask. Then he turned to me. I instinctively took a step away. Orochimaru looked at me curiously. "Are you scared?" He asked finally. I didn't move. He sighed and set it down. Then he walked over and knelt in front of me. "Akita, have I ever asked you to do anything that wasn't for your benefit?" He asked. I slowly shook my head, but I kept my eyes on the mixture. He noticed and grabbed my chin. "Look at me." He demanded. I reluctantly took my eyes off of it and looked Orochimaru in the eyes. "I told you when we started this that the pain would pass and the effects would make you a better ninja. Have I been wrong yet?" He asked.

"No." I said quietly. He smiled.

"That's right. So you have no reason not to trust me. This next one is going to enhance your hearing and from that I am going to teach you how to read sound waves. It will hurt, just like all the others, but this is something that you don't have to drink and it is a much smaller amount. Only a few drops and they go directly in your ears. Alright?" He said. I sighed.

"Alright." I said in a small voice. He nodded in approval and then went over to grab the potion and a dropper. I took a deep breath again. Orochimaru turned and started walking towards me. "Wait!" I exclaimed. Orochimaru stopped and looked at me. "Just promise me something first." I said quietly. He smiled softly.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Just… no needles. NEVER needles! Alright?" I demanded. Orochimaru smiled and nodded.

"No needles." He said. I sighed and then tucked my hair back. He walked over to me and knelt down. He tilted my head to the side to get to my ear. "Just relax." He whispered. Then he put a few drops in my ear and quickly in my other ear. He got up, walked over to the table and set the flask down with the dropper still inside. At first, I felt nothing. Then my ears started to ring. It was quiet at first, but it was slowly getting louder. I gasped and put my hands over my ears when it got too loud. But it kept getting louder! It was so loud, it **hurt! **I dropped to my knees and cried out from the pain. I was struggling to breathe. It hurt. Everything hurt. It was so loud now that I couldn't even hear my occasional screams though I could certainly feel them. Even the beating of my heart was causing pain. My ears wouldn't stop ringing. I fell to my side and curled up in a ball while flinching and gasping from the unbearable ringing. I looked around as I noticed my vision started to get fuzzy. Orochimaru was just standing there, arms crossed, watching me. I groaned and the ringing got even louder to the point where my vision went black and I passed out.

* * *

When I woke, I shot up. I heard something squeak and looked over to the right. On the outside of the window, which was closed, was a baby field mouse. I looked at it incredulously as I tried to comprehend that I had heard that tiny thing make noise. But I didn't have time to comprehend that as next I heard a thump. I couldn't place it though. I couldn't see where it was coming from. As I become more and more alert, I began hearing more and more. Finally, I panicked. I scrambled out of bed, ran to the corner, sat down and covered my ears. I could hear EVERYTHING in the building practically! I tried to control my breathing to be as quiet as possible so that I didn't add to the noise. I heard footsteps and waited for either my door to open or for whoever it was to walk past. It felt like I was waiting forever and the steps kept getting louder! I realized then that I was hearing things from such a large distance that I couldn't judge them anymore. Then my door slid open and I flinched at the scratching sound of wood sliding on wood. Orochimaru walked in and looked over at me. I glared back at him. This was all his fault. If he had just left me alone, I wouldn't need to relearn how to use my senses. I was practically helpless.

"Get out." I said in barely a whisper. Orochimaru didn't listen. Instead he walked completely into my room and shut the door. "Didn't you hear me? I said get out!" I said louder. Orochimaru continued to ignore me and took a few steps near me. "Stay the hell away from me!" I yelled. Orochimaru stopped and looked at me, surprised. I glared at him again. "Don't even **touch** me or I swear..." I let my threat drift off. I was capable of a lot and I knew that if I did **anything** Orochimaru's plans would be screwed over. Orochimaru knelt down so he was eye level with me, but he didn't come any closer.

"What's wrong?" He asked calmly. I looked at him like he was crazy. Then I laughed for no reason.

"What's **WRONG?!**" I yelled back. Then I lowered my voice down to a whisper. "I'll tell you what's wrong! How about the fact that I control my hearing? How about the fact that I can hear _almost every little thing_ that is going on in this house?! How about the fact that you can't seem to **stop!?!**" I exclaimed. I felt like I wanted to attack Orochimaru and just try to get every hit in that I could. All my will power was being used in avoiding that scenario. Orochimaru seemed to sense that.

"Akita, do you trust me?" He asked. He seemed to get tired of asking that over and over again. I glared at him for a moment before I answered.

"No."


	24. Chapter 24

She's the Girl All the Bad Guys Want  
Orochimaru's Experiment

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Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

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Orochimaru's POV

I froze when she said no. '_This isn't right. I can't lose her now._' I thought to myself.

"Akita, I need you to listen to me. You're going to be fine. A day or two of learning to focus and the excess sounds would bother you. Do you understand me?" I told her as quietly as possible. Akita continued to glare at me. "Akita… Youjo, listen to me," I whispered. Akita continued to glare. If anything, her glare intensified. I needed to do something drastic to keep her trust. "Kita-chan, please," I whispered. She gasped and then suddenly there was a fire in her eyes. '_Shit. That backfired._' He thought to himself.

"Don't you EVER use my MOTHER'S NAME FOR ME! You have NO RIGHT!" She yelled at me. I tensed. If she didn't relax, she would pass out from the stress on her body. Her hearing would force her brain into overdrive while she was trying to focus on everything. I sighed.

"Akita, don't make me do this," I warned her. Akita growled at me. She _growled_. I sighed. "Fine." I snapped my hand out towards her neck, aiming to knock her out with a pressure point, but I hit air. I looked behind me at Akita crouched down by the foot of the bed. She was fast. Her instincts were tapping into her kekkei genkai without it being fully awakened yet. '_Shit. I was hoping to make sure she never awoke her kekkei genkai._' He thought to himself. "Akita," I said with a warning tone. She growled at me again, this time baring her teeth. I stood slowly while keeping an eye on her. When I reached my full height, she slipped back a few feet towards the window. I knew what she was trying to do and if she managed to get out of this room, she would run. Then she'd mostly pass out in the wilderness due to the migraine. "Listen to me, my youjo. Let me help. I can make this go away," I said as I took a step towards her. She shot back to the wall under the window.

"You could have not done it in the first place," She whispered. I sighed. I knew that Akita and I would have this argument at some point.

"Akita, you can handle this. We both know you can. You're just agitated right now due to the migraine. Calm down and listen to me. I'm trying to help you youjo. If you don't let me help, you'll pass out," I told her as I knelt back down. She continued to glare at me, but she stopped growling at least and put her teeth away. I was in arm's reach of her now. Slowly, I reached forward to caress her cheek to try and reassure her that she'd be fine and distract her enough to knock her out. She watched my hand carefully. "Trust me youjo. You'll be fine." I whispered. Just as I was close enough to touch her, she snapped her head towards my hand and bit my hand! I pulled my hand back with a yell and she took that moment to jump through the window, breaking the glass, and flee. I inspected my hand. She had bit right between my thumb and my first finger. I glared at the bleeding injury and then out the window. "KABUTO!"

* * *

Akita's POV

* * *

I ran home as fast as I could. Every footstep was hell as I could hear every sound made from my breathing, the wind, the crunch of the twigs I stepped on. I just wanted to get away! I wanted to be left alone! As I was running, Maya appeared next to me.

'_Akita! What's wrong?' _She cried. I looked at her and growled. I didn't know what to say. I doubt I could say anything anyway. My head hurt so badly. All I could think about was getting away. Maya continued to run alongside me. '_Akita, come with me. I can help you._' She called. I growled again as Orochimaru's words played again in my head.

"Lies!" I cried as I grabbed a kunai and threw it at her. She leaped over it and looked at me.

'_I do not lie to you. I'll be here when you're ready for my help._' She said and then she fell back and pretty quickly stopped following me. I soon reached Konoha. I didn't even bother stopping at the gates or speaking with the guards. I just ran in and ran home. I opened the door and bolted into my room. I didn't even care if anyone was home, I just wanted to be alone and make all the sounds stop. I curled up in a ball and covered my ears. I tried to figure out what the pounding sound was when I suddenly realized it was my heart beating so fast I could hear the blood pumping in my ears. It sounded like someone beating a drum right next to me. I could hear the children playing outside along with all the birds and the street noise. It was torture.

"Oh god. It hurts so much," I whimpered. I fell on my side and tried to squeeze my ears shut. "Please stop," I whispered. I was getting dizzy. It was nauseating with all the sounds. '_Orochimaru warned me that I would pass out… shit._' I thought. "I'm sorry," I mumbled right before I blacked out.

* * *

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes. Wherever I was, it was dark and cool. I exhaled slowly and stretched my hand out. It met some sort of rough fabric. I pushed it away and light started to filter into my vision. I realized that it was the quilt off my bed covering me and there was a washcloth on my forehead. I took the washcloth off and sat up. It was quieter outside now. I looked outside and saw it was dusk. Most likely the citizens were home having dinner and getting ready to settle down for the night. I heard footsteps in the living room and my gaze shot towards my door. Slowly, I stood and made my way towards the door. When I opened it, I saw Kakashi sitting on the couch. He looked up from his book at me, then set his book down and walked over.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. I flinched.

"Please be quiet," I whispered. He nodded.

"Migraine? When did it start?" He whispered, as I nodded. I shrugged.

"Sometime this morning. When did you find me?" I asked.

"Before lunch. I came over to check up on you like Anko asked and found you curled up in your room, sheltering your head. Your ears specifically. When you didn't feel warm to the touch, I figured it must have been a migraine. So I covered you in your quilt. I took a washcloth I had submerged in ice water and placed it on your forehead hoping it would help you feel better. You've been unconscious this entire time. Personally, I'd like you to go to the doctor," He mumbled. I shook my head.

"I doubt any doctor could fix this. Is there anything to eat?" Kakashi sighed and nodded. We walked into the kitchen where I found a bowl full of fresh fruit ready to eat. I smiled and started to pick from the bowl. Kakashi went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of ginger ale.

"Are you alright with this, or do you want something added to it for flavor?" Kakashi asked. I shrugged.

"I've never minded the taste. Thanks," I said as he poured me a glass and I continued to pick at the fruit. Kakashi set the glass in front of me sat down across from me. "Where's Anko?" I asked in between bites.

"Mission, remember?" He said. I shook my head. "What's the last thing you remember?" He asked.

"Running home. Collapsing. Before that, it's fuzzy. I remember being here and leaving, but I'm having trouble with the details. I remember thinking that I just want to get away and be alone, but I don't remember why I was thinking that," I explained. Kakashi nodded.

"You didn't hit your head, did you?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I don't think so. I probably just caught a bug or something. I'll try and sleep it off. Would you mind staying with me?" I mumbled. Kakashi looked at me, surprised. "I don't want to stay here alone. If it gets noisy again, I'm scared that it will hurt again and I'll black out or I won't wake up because I'll be in too much pain. I need help taking care of myself tonight. Please?" I explained. Kakashi got up, walked around the table, kneeled down next to me, and hugged me.

"Don't worry Akita. I won't go anywhere tonight," He whispered. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

* * *

Orochimaru's POV

* * *

Kabuto returned with the report that she was still in the village. '_How long does she think she can last on her own before the pain consumes her?_' I thought to myself. I stood and walked upstairs to my lab, where I had my next victim waiting. I opened the door to the view of a young woman around seventeen was strapped down to an examination table. Her wrists were already raw from struggling against the restraints. She had been brought her shortly after Akita ran away. She was breathing heavily as she watched me with fear in her eyes. I sighed as I went to put on gloves and grabbed a new mixture and a scalpel. As I turned around, her eyes seemed to dance with fear.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" She whimpered. I smirked.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure you won't survive the night. A few days at best. You're just a trial run to make sure everything is ready for her," I told the quivering girl. "You see, I can't afford to have anything go wrong when I use this on my little brat. I have to make sure that I get exactly what I want from her. So you get the honor of being my guinea pig to make sure she's relatively safe. It's truly an honor. So stop your whining and be grateful," I said sadistically. She started crying. I grabbed the mixture and turned back towards her. "Now, the more you cooperate, the less this will hurt. The choice is yours. Now, open up," I demanded. She clenched her mouth shut and started to thrash again. "Wonderful. I love it when they struggle," I said. I then descended on her with the scalpel, cutting her on the inside of her elbow. The woman screamed and I took the opportunity to force the mixture in her mouth. Quickly I forced the woman's mouth shut and covered her nose, so she'd be forced to swallow if she wanted to breathe. It wasn't long before the woman gave in and swallowed. I smirked as I let up off her and backed away. She looked at me, terrified, before her eyes started to race around the room. She started whimpering again. Soon she was screaming and thrashing about in agony. I watched as the scalpel was no longer needed. Usually, if an experiment goes right, I perform an autopsy to make sure there was no internal damage. But this time it did not go right. Her skin began to melt in some spots on her body and her blood bubbled out. I groaned in agitation before I went over and slit her throat. No point in listening to her screams when I could already see that this round was a failure. "KABUTO!" A thump was heard downstairs and then running towards the lab. While waiting I examined the body. The blood was hot and it appeared that her skin melted because her blood was literally boiling. Her blood became hot enough to melt her skin.

"Yes, sir?" Kabuto asked as he slid the door open.

"Find a solution to this problem. I do not need Akita's skin melting off her body when her blood starts to boil," I snarled at him.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," He answered with a bow. "But Milord, if I may ask, why do you continue to bother with this girl?" I groaned.

"Because, Kabuto, my _precious youjo_," I spat out, "is quite possibly more valuable than any other person on the planet. Her heritage grants her powers and techniques that even I may never use, even if I were to absorb her as my new body. These are things that are designed just for her and her bloodline and cannot be transferred. I will have them." I looked down at the dead woman who's blood was still bubbling. "Even if I have to destroy everything she is to get it."

* * *

Wow. It's been almost like 2 years now… I'm sorry. My muse ran away for the longest time. I knew what I wanted to write, but whenever I tried to write I either wasn't inspired or didn't like what I was typing. But I am back! ^_^ I wrote this in only a few hours. Within the next couple weeks I should be on track for all my stories. Things are getting back to normal! Thank you to those of you that have stuck with me! I don't know if I would have after not having anything happen for so long. You guys truly are the best.


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